The Wallflower
by EnviousCasca
Summary: Melusina Sunveil is unbearably shy. Shunned by the sin'dorei since childhood, she decides to prove herself on the battlefield. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned as she finds herself at the mercy of the Alliance. Oh, what's a wallflower to do? SEQUEL "WINDROSE" IS NOW UP.
1. Meeting Melu

**Hey all! I finally got around to editing the beginning chapters. Don't worry, I'm also writing the next one, so there'll be a new update soon!**

**Heh, it's funny. I bought myself Cata for christmas, was in blasted lands, and what do I see? Clarya and Rohan SUNVEIL. Damn you, Blizzard. DX**

**Anyway, this chapter is mostly just grammar fixing, but as I continue to edit the story, tiny details will change, so please feel free to R&R  
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**Prologue: Meeting Melu.**

Silvermoon City, the dystopian eden of the Horde. In the spectacular garden of elven lords, ladies, knights and magisters of the sin'dorei society, Melusina Sunveil was the lone wallflower.

Melusina grew up on the Sunveil estate. A château standing proud and glorious on it's own little island large enough for the three generations of Sunveil to live comfortably. An ornate red and gold bridge floating serenely above the sea, leading straight to the winding, ever-blooming gardens filled with patrolling lynxes and curious dragonhawks.

The château was off the coast, east of the city, and easily within walking or riding distance. However none of the adult Sunveil's left their sea-borne sanctuary for anything less than a call-to-arms or an extravagant social event. Melu was the black sheep of her white-collared family, where the men were boastful, glory-addicted paladins, and the women- priestesses- were all vain gossip-mongers.

She was generic, as far as blood elves went, though a little more curvy than the average sin'dorei woman. Which, among the Sunveil's exceptional beauty and narcissism, meant she was downright ugly and her voluptuousness simply written off as fat. Rich brown hair always pulled back in a simple ponytail, wispy strands framing her face. Her peachy skin smooth and unblemished, except for a single scar that ran from the joint on the left side of her jaw, to the right corner of her hairline, cutting across her eye. The girl had gotten it mysteriously when she was young, refusing to tell anyone how it had happened. Whoever sliced the poor child's face had used a lethal poison to make the healing process nigh impossible. After three weeks of bed nursing, Melu's mother finally managed to repair the wound with only a thin scar and a mostly usable eye as a result.

As a child, Melu was endlessly teased by her age-mates, singling out both her people-pleasing personality and her inability to stand up for herself. She was a very bright girl with a deep curiosity for things. She spent most of her time either reading or begging one of the servants to teach her their trade, quickly becoming enamored by skills of the Sunveil family's personal tailors and jewelers. None of this lessened the verbal abuse she found herself subjected to by the other children, and eventually, as time went on, everyone else in the city who knew of her. With the exception of her brother Remiel and her cousin Haphaestus, the other Sunveil's did nothing to ease her suffering.

Her family consisted of three generations of blood knights and priestesses. The adults had very strict views on what their children's futures would be like. The children were allowed to have hobbies as long as they didn't interfere with their studies. The men became paladins, the women became priestesses. Any and all deviations from this path would be dealt with harshly. The Sunveil's lived liked prized birds in a showcase. They were the vain trump card that the city left untouched unless their commanding officers were willing to deal with their over-the-top self-righteousness. Of course, even trump cards can fail. So when half the family was lost in the Third War during Arthas' attack on Silvermoon, the remaining survivors' confidence were shattered. They mourned for years, rejecting the sight of their once beloved sea-rimmed estate and instead hiding themselves in the inns and bars of the city until eventually the chaotic combination of anguish and magical overdosing warped the last of the adult Sunveil's into Wretched. They were met with a quick and merciless execution by the city guards.

The Sunveil name was now balancing on a blade's edge between the lifelong respect they fought to earn and the utter shame that their quick and complete annihilation brought them. Melu certainly didn't help matters. She never felt any urge to bring attention to herself nor did she carry herself with pride like any good Sunveil should. After the fall of the family, there remained only four Sunveil's who had neither gone to war nor succumbed to their magical addiction. Melusina, at the tender age of nine, her 14 year old brother and their cousin, Remiel and Haphaestus, and their grandfather, Champion Balderius Sunveil.

Though the despair he felt the day his wife and children were lost was unquestionable, Melu recalled his face a different day so much more clearly. It was the day Haphaestus had told him he wouldn't become a paladin. In fact, Haphaestus had absolutely no intention of learning any sort of fighting skill whatsoever. Instead he planned to stay safely tucked away inside the walls of Silvermoon City and become a blacksmith.

"Do you mock me?" She could still remember how red Balderius' face had been, and how the entire château seemed to shake with his rage. The young red-haired blood elf merely smirked and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well," he hummed, "I figured I'd learn some jewelcraftin' on th' side, if that's alright with you, Baldy?" At the sound of his less than respectable nickname, Balderius snapped. Not even bothering to correct Haphaestus' slurring speech which had always annoyed the elder elf, he called for the nearest servant. He had his oldest grandchild banished from both the estate and the Sunveil family in less than a minute, despite Remiel's loud protests. Melu couldn't bring herself to mention her cousin- the one who had practically raised her- in front of her grandfather after that day.

When the day came that Remiel finally admitted to Balderius that he wanted to learn the ways of the mage instead of the paladin, it went over surprisingly better than either sibling expected. Remiel was promptly removed from Sunveil property, but he wasn't disowned like Haphaestus. Despite having nowhere to live, he was able to take out a limited supply of money from the bank to rent a small apartment in the city. Balderius forbade Melu from contacting either her brother or Haphaestus.

"You are the last heir to the Sunveil family, so you had better shape up and prepare for your studies as a priestess," Melu's grandfather had said to her on her 11th birthday. After Remiel's departure, Balderius began watching the girl like a hawk, dictating her every move, nitpicking every flaw, hoping to instill a little obedience and seriousness in her. "By the Sunwell, start with that atrocious body of yours, you are not a tauren."

Melu had honestly believed she was going to be a priestess. What else was there? Everyone in their family had been paladins and priestesses. Just as Balderius would always say to her, Remiel and Haphaestus were just being foolish, they would realize what little glory there was in their chosen paths, and come back begging for forgiveness. But as time passed and the more she thought about it, the less sure she was. Two years later, Melu could remember sitting in a sullen, candlelit silence across from Balderius on the anniversary of the Wretched Sunveil. Melu hated that day with a passion. Balderius ordered everyone on the estate from using magic and the day long withdrawal left Melu prone to anxiety attacks. She was always sent to bed early where she would toss and turn and not get a wink of sleep. However, before she had retired for the night, she spoke. Melu finally found the strength she had been searching for all those years.

"Gra-Grandfather, please, I beg of you, I don't want to become a priestess-" Melu watched as Balderius' fork slowly lowered and her courage escaped her with a cruel, mocking whoosh of air. She stuttered, "I-I... I want-"

"I do not care. Remove yourself from my home."

She hadn't even been given the luxury of packing her belongings. As if she were a child whose pranks they had grown weary of, she was thrown out. Sitting on one of the magically conjured steps that lead up to the floating bridge, she had spent the night watching the lights of the city glitter in the distance, confused and hurt.

Needless to say, Melu never told anyone what she truly wanted ever again.

A year later, and the young girl found herself under the tutelage of the same magister as Remiel, mostly because he was the only blood elf in the entire city that didn't look at her as if she were some kind of annoying vermin. For that same reason, she tried her hardest at everything she did, even if she didn't necessarily like it or agree with it. Even if her peers, out of jealousy, boredom, or pure cruel intent, tried to hinder her progress.

Remiel felt proud and confident in his sister the day he received orders to leave for Undercity. She had begun to bloom into a beautiful young woman, unfortunately all the teasing she endured as a child blinded her to any of her good qualities. When Melu found out her older brother was leaving, she cried so hard she lost her voice. After losing half the Sunveil family on some distant battlefield, and watching the other half wither away to nothing, it was easy to say her greatest fear was the loss of the two people in the world who had cared for her most. Melu locked herself in her room with her brother's traveling bag. Remiel and Haphaestus had tried for several hours to coax the girl out to no avail. It finally took the siblings' teacher, Magister Dawnwind to threaten to transform Melu into a furbolg for her to finally relinquish the bag.

As she watched her brother mount his hawkstrider, she remembered wondering to herself, would she ever leave this hateful city? Did she really want to? If her own people treated her with that much disdain, how would the other races of the Horde look at her?

Melu decided she didn't want to know. She didn't feel ready just yet. Maybe tomorrow, or the next day, if she was feeling brave enough.

Maybe.

But only if she felt brave.


	2. Forsaken and Flags

**Two updates in two days! It's like a miracle! Granted, all I'm doing is editing, but still!**

**And yes, I know I changed Melu from frost to fire in here in the beginning, but don't worry! She's still going to be a frost mage! This was mostly just for the warcraft lore, how almost all blood elf mages in silvermoon study fire magic. I'm kind of switching back and forth between the lore and the game, so if it gets confusing or contradicting please let me know!  
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**Don't forget to R&R! :)  
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**I do not own World of Warcraft, it's characters or any of the places used. Melusina Sunveil, Tai, Feng, and Ankou belong to me.  
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**Chapter one: Forsaken and Flags.**

Melu focused on firmly putting one trembling foot in front of the other as she made her way up the hill to Tranquillien. She'd finally received her first out-of-city order from Magister Dawnwind. She was a full-fledged mage now. Sure, he had forbidden her from polymorphing any Horde (they were still trying to put her victims back in their original forms) but that fell on deaf ears. She hadn't planned on polymorphing anyone to begin with. Arcanist Vandril looked up from his pacing as Melu hovered shyly a few feet away from him.

"Are you the messenger they sent?" he asked with a tone of impatience.

"No- uh- well- um... he was injured and sent me in his place," Melu stuttered nervously while trying to keep her pleasant smile from faltering. Things were not starting off as she had hoped. Then again, talking had never been her strong suit.

Vandril frowned, but waited with the last shred of his patience as Melu forced the message out of her throat. Vandril nodded solemnly.

"Very good. Thank you, Melusina, as painful as that was for my ears. When you have a chance, speak with Advisor Valwyn and Deathstalker Maltendis. They will give you missions befitting a young mage of your stature." With that Vandril waved her off and Melu quickly made her way to the nearby building.

Melu glanced up at the sad gray sky at the sound of thunder in the distance. She wondered if it was actually thunder or if it might have been the stygian bellows of the scourge of Deatholme to the south.

At the sound of rising voices Melu stopped and gave a tentative glance at the two guards at the door, but they ignored her. Melu brushed back a stray strand of hair as she cleared her throat and stepped inside.

Dame Auriferous and High Executor Mavren blatantly ignored the new arrival as their argument began to climax. Valwyn and Maltendis both gave her sparing glances. Out of the corner of her eyes Melu saw Valwyn do a double take as she suddenly noticed the scar running across Melu's face.

Melu stared at her feet and lightly brushed a finger tip over the scar on her cheek. She was ashamed of the scar and how she got it. No self-respecting blood elf woman would ever allow her face to be harmed, much less scarred. After a moment Valwyn beckoned her over. The young mage obediently shuffled closer to the Advisor.

"Mage, some trouble has been brewing in the Amani catacombs..."

Melu gave a pitiful whine as she dragged herself into the shambled building the Tranquillien denizens were using as their inn. Over the past two months, Melu reduced gnolls to cinders, blasted murlocs, gathered the spines and hearts of the scourge infesting the Scar, initiated both rescue and assassination missions in the heart of Deatholme, sliced the ears off of trolls, and freed restless spirits.

With great pain and even greater pride, Melu finally returned from the Scar with the colossal heads of Luzran and Knucklerot and collected the bounty on both of them.

"Things are finally starting to look up!" Melu whispered happily to herself. With a quick flip of her hands a flask of water and a muffin were conjured and almost immediately devoured.

Melu and the innkeeper looked up in surprise as Advisor Valwyn walked through the entrance.

"Lady Valwyn! What has brought you to grace us with your presence on this dreary day?" the innkeeper asked smoothly, a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on his face. Valwyn looked around the room as if the man who just spoke to her didn't exist at all. Her eyes lit up as they landed on Melu.

"Ah! Mage, there you are. You've done a good job finishing off those abominations. We've received a distress call from Ashenvale to aid their battle in Warsong Gulch. Unfortunately, since we're stretched thin with reinforcements here as well, we will only be able to send one recruit. So," Valwyn raised her chin, looking down her nose at the wide eyed Melu as she announced, "_You_ will go to Warsong Gulch while a messenger goes to Silvermoon City for more reinforcements."

Melu did her best to swallow the lump in her throat. She was anxious for this new opportunity to prove herself but also a little terrified. She had never even seen a member of the Alliance before, despite the rumors of night elves south of the Sanctum of the Sun. She wasn't sure she was ready to face an entire army of them, but then again, she knew she would never be ready if she kept hiding. She tried her best to hide the uncertainty and nervous feeling growing in her chest as she nodded and rose to pack her things. She wanted to be out and on the road before nightfall.

Before she had the chance to change her mind and run for the safety of Silvermoon.

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Melu gave a startled cry as another explosion thundered outside the large hut currently being used as the Warsong base of operation. Melu wrung her hands in embarrassment as the orc warrior and troll hunter that had been briefing her threw unimpressed glares her direction. _But that explosion was much closer than the last one... _the young woman thought to herself in defense, of course she wasn't about to say that out loud.

The troll sighed, clearly irritated with this greenhorn, they were given instead of a seasoned veteran he had been praying for. "Look mon, if ya see a Alliance, kill it, ya? If not, jus' do what da otha's tell ya. Be helpful, mon."

Melu smiled sheepishly. "Helpful. I can do that." The two men looked at her like they clearly didn't believe it, but didn't say otherwise. As another explosion rocked the base, the orc and troll quickly left to join the skirmish outside. Melu glanced around.

While the battle of Warsong Gulch was purely for resources, both sides were also carrying tactical and logistical information that the other would do anything to get their hands on. The base was heavily guard against any intruder that would try to sneak in and escape with valuable Horde intelligence, and Melu was willing to bet all of Silvermoon that the Alliance hideout was under just as much protection.

_It's like 'capture the flag,' _Melu thought to herself, remembering one of the more popular games of her youth, not that it was one she had ever been allowed to partake in. Shaking her thoughts away from the past, Melu cautiously exited the hut and scanned the area. Just over the small cliff she could see smoke, arrows, fire, and other sorts of magic and ammunition fly through the air like malicious fireworks. To her right, just before the drop off, was a tented makeshift medic area for the wounded.

"Hey mon! What ya standin' there starin' for? Seti'ja not be savin' ya if ya be scared, mon!" Melu turned in wide eyed surprise as female troll shaman made her way to her.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I just got here," Melu replied, waving her hands in frantic apology. Seti'ja raised an eyebrow as she stared down at the small blood elf.

"Ya da recruit we be gettin'? Bad luck! Ya too young! We be needin' a champion!" As an afterthought she added, "Heard we be gettin' a Sunveil..."

Melu's face fell as she lowered her head. "Ah, well... I-I _am_ a Sun...veil..."

The shamaness didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at Melu again, then shrugged. "Stick wit' Seti'ja. Seti show ya da way. We be fightin' our way ta Abby. She be waitin'." At her words Melu's face lit up like the sun and she scrambled after the troll like an excited puppy.

"T-thank you!"

"Ya mon, jus' don' die."

With practiced ease, Seti leapt down from the drop off just behind the medical tent. After a moment's hesitation Melu followed after her. Missiles whistled through the air, landing on both sides of the gulch. The two women crouched in their spot as they waited for a safe time to traverse through the chaos. Melu glanced up at the medical tent, in clear view of the Alliance fighters below._ Seems like a silly place to have it, _Melu thought, _Any decent hunter or spell caster would be able to level that thing... But if they think that's the best place to have it, who am I to judge?_

"Move it, elfy!" Seti whispered, as a pale blue light enveloped her. Like water, her body shifted from troll to spirit wolf. Muttering the incantation beneath her breath, Melu invoked her molten armor. The air around her suddenly felt cool as her own body temperature began to rise exponentially, her cheeks a rosy color. Her arms shivered continuously as the magic that coursed through her veins aided her body to produce as much heat as it could. The air around her began to dance with the heat.

The blood elf struggled to keep up with the limber wolf as it hurtled over trenches and under fighting soldiers. Melu squealed in surprise as an unearthed root got wrapped around her toe and she tripped. With a face full of dirt, she sensed more than heard heavy footsteps racing toward her. Melu felt her heart skip a beat as an axe bit into the tree above her, the same level as where her head had previously been.

_Oh root, how I love thee... _Melu thought in panic tinted humor. She gasped desperately as she whirled on her opponent, a night elf warrior. Her hand glowed white hot before the flames suddenly burst to life in her palm. Muttered words flew out of her lips faster than her own mind could process.

Seti emerged from the underbrush to find Melu standing opposite of the now severely burnt night elf. With a drop of her totems and a swiftly cast spell, Seti finished off the warrior.

Out of breath, Melu turned to Seti and bowed her head apologetically, "Sorry! I lost you back there." Seti shook her head, getting lost in the chaos of battle wasn't out of the ordinary. Instead Seti simply turned and began making her way towards the area she'd agreed to meet her forsaken friend, Melu following close behind.

As the grass became greener and the small, spiky huts of the Horde were replaced with the elegant hovels of the Alliance Melu realized they were getting closer to the enemy headquarters. Melu knew she should hate anything and everything that had to do with the Alliance, but the architectural intricacy of the night elves and the fashionable uniqueness of the humans appealed to Melu's love for beautiful things.

"It's about time you got here, you fool!" a harsh voice rasped from the shadows. Melu let out a small yelp, only to be silenced with a sound slap to the back of the head by Seti. The young blood elf whimpered as quietly as she could, nursing her poor head. She glanced up at the tree branches where an undead rogue was perched. The forsaken woman observed her with the utmost disdain as she growled through pointed rotten teeth, "Seti'ja, you appear to have a leech attached to you."

Seti shook her head. "Nah mon, dis be the new recruit. Melusina Sunveil," Seti introduced, herding the shy girl forward, careful not to touch her with her molten armor still active. Seti looked at Melu and motioned to the rogue, "Dis be Abby-"

"Abigail Caine," the older woman snapped, obviously not pleased the nickname Seti had come up with for her. Melu trembled under the critical, dead eyes of the rogue above her and raised her hand, waggling her fingers in an uncertain wave. Abby glowered.

"I think I'll just kill her now and end everyone's misery." Melu's face paled as Abby slipped down from the tree. Seti shook her head.

"Nah mon, we got a job, an' we be doin' it."

Abby scowled. "Fine, I'll just kill her while she sleeps tonight."

_ Oh, because that makes me feel so much better!_

Seti shrugged, "Ya choice, mon. Now let's go."

Despite for the obvious lack of care from her two comrades, Melu followed obediently. Tearfully, she thought to herself,_ I never should have left Silvermoon._

"You! And you! What do you think this is? A vacation? Fix that hole in our roof before we have gnomes raining in our damn hold!" the orc captain bellowed. A pair of peons scrambled with a cart of boards and a bucket of nails to patch up the smoldering roof. The captain's eyes landed on a trio of women as they entered the hold. Various wounds, and obviously exhausted, but at this point they were some of his better fairing soldiers.

"Caine! Status report," he growled. The forsaken turned her pale face to him and slowly slunk her way over to him.

"Sir," she began. "My team and I have already tried to get into the enemy stronghold several times, their defense has barely been scratched, and they have their hunters keeping an eye out for me specifically, since I have been the one to sneak in an-"

"Then we won't send you in anymore, worm-meat!" the captain roared as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You have two others in your raiding squad and we have 15 other squads! Or has your rotten brain finally oozed out of your hollow head?" Abby growled at this but said nothing.

The captain looked at each of the girls individually before finally ordering, "You, Seti'ja and Ahz's squad will lead an attack toward their medical tent, that should distract those pitiful Alliance long enough for Melusina to grab any documents she can find and blink out of there. Ankou 's squad will wait for her outside the entrance to escort her back here." The orc cast a 'defy-me-and-die' look on each of the women as he added, "Any objections?"

Melu, obvious panic written all over her face, willed her hand into the air, which immediately shrunk back down next to her blushing face. The captain's eyes narrowed dangerously and Melu wished more than anything to disappear.

"Um, sir- you see... I can't blink." When Melu saw that the captain looked ready to throttle her, she quickly added as an apology, "Well, that is, I _can_ blink, but I can't control the distance, it might be an inch or I might end up portal'd to Undercity! I honestly don't know!"

"Well, you better hope it's Undercity, because I'm not giving you a choice in the matter, now move out! Seti'ja, spread word to Ahz and Ankou !"

The three women made their way to the exit miserably, Melu conjuring flasks of water for herself and Seti. Abby, in a fit of feral frustration, grabbed the nearest of Melu's polymorph victims that a peon had just managed to capture and bit into it.

Melu turned to Seti, hoping to lighten the mood. "Would it still be considered cannibalism if it's stuck as a bunny?" Seti chuckled as Abby grinned viciously. It was the 25th day of skirmishing between the two armies, resources were nearly depleted on both sides. This battle would have to end soon, or no one would win.

Once they got down to the lowest part of the gulch, Melu went her separate way, heading through the woods toward the northeastern ramp that lead toward the Alliance hold.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ankou , the blood elf priestess mentioned earlier, perk up as she noticed Melu. Motioning to her party members, the priestess and several others made a beeline for the mage, butchering anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way. Ankou followed close behind her group, healing every wound she spotted.

Melu continued on her way to the Alliance's side of the gulch, but slowed her progress down to a slow walk. Picking her way around the corpses, she decided to save her energy. Instead of gracing her victims with a merciful death of incineration, Melu delivered a swift blow to anyone her came within staff's reach of her. The blood elf was thankful that her staff, a family heirloom, had such a large sapphire at the top. If it weren't for that weight in her swing, she probably wouldn't be able to deal any sort of physical damage.

After what felt like an eternity, the Alliance huts came into view. Luckily, it seemed that not using magic had been the best decision, since no one seemed to notice Melu crawl over the large roots of the tree next to the ramp. Melu glanced behind her. Even the priestess appeared to have lost track of Melu. The young Sunveil frowned as her stomach dropped into a pit of uncertainty. What did she do now? She wasn't a rogue like Abby, sneaking and spying weren't exactly her forte.

_I could climb up onto the roof, I think I saw a hatch I could open and drop down from. I can wait until there's only one or two in the room and polymorph one._ Melu prayed to every god in Azeroth that she would be that lucky. Though she was trained as a fire mage, her skills weren't that advanced, and she couldn't focus her magic on more than one target at a time.

Strengthening her molten armor again, Melu snuck up the ramp as stealthily as a mage could. Clinging to the walls for a moment, she waited and listened to check if anyone noticed her. After convincing herself they weren't all camped inside waiting for her, she began climbing the ivy to the roof.

Stars and black spots dotted Melu's vision as something slammed into the base of her skull. She cried out in pain, falling to a crumpled heap on the ground. As she fought to keep awake she heard the sound of two foreign voices, one a low rumble, the other loud and triumphant. She couldn't understand a word they said, but once she recognized the language as common, she knew her situation just went from bad to worse.

_ "That was ridiculously easy, she must be a spell caster of some kind if she can't even stand a whack to the head..."_

_ "Fire mage. Look at what she did to Kyle."_ There was a short pause that made Melu wonder if she'd finally passed out.

_ "Holy damn! His skin! He's burnt! He- Feng, we-"_

_ "It's too late, Tai, he's already dead. Come on, we should take her to the captain."_

Melu's world spun as she was lifted roughly to her feet. Her eyes opened blearily, warm blood trickled down her neck, and she stared fearfully into the tan face of a human rogue.

His face twisted into an heated glare, his lip twitched up in an almost wolfish snarl as he spoke again in that language she couldn't understand._ "Let's go, blood elf."_

Melu whimpered pathetically as she was dragged into the Alliance hold. Her enemies passed her and the two humans without a second glance, since taking captives was a natural occurrence in battle for both sides. Melu could only hope that the Alliance didn't treat their prisoners the same way the Horde did. _I don't wanna be eaten! Don't turn me into a bunny! Don't polymorph me if you can't turn me back! _she wailed mentally as she was dropped unceremoniously before a dwarf paladin.

Looking less than impressed, the dwarf shouted something to a pair of draenei who immediately scampered off. Keeping her head bowed, Melu peeked out from her curtain of bangs at everything that was within her line of sight. Maybe if those documents were in this room, she could still stick to the plan she had formed.

With the two humans that had found her standing behind the blood elf on either side, Melu was too scared to look over her shoulder for the documents. When she couldn't find anything with her chin still tucked down to her collar bone, Melu willed herself to lift her head and look further around the large room. Nothing. Which meant they were either hidden away or someone was carrying them. Melu glanced at the dwarf. The captain was the most likely candidate, but if she had any hope of forcing the papers or information concerning them out of the little man, she would have to get him alone.

Unlikely.

The dwarf looked up at a sudden movement that Melu didn't feel brave enough to see for herself. With the same sort of demoralizing bellow that reminded her of her own captain, the dwarf cowed the new arrival into immediate action.

"You! Blood elf!" Melu's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she lifted her head and looked up at the draenei woman standing above her. The draenei nodded to herself, clearly pleased with Melu's reaction and barreled forward with her interrogation.

Unfortunately for the draenei, she spoke in very poor orcish, which Melu had little to no knowledge of to begin with. Having only spent a little over three months outside the city of Silvermoon, she severely lacked experience with what one might call cultural diversity. Melu had always dreamed of traveling to Orgrimmar, the Horde capital, where blood elves weren't the only people inhabiting the city. Melu had hoped that maybe no one would care about her scar or chubby body, if she was careful not to stand too close to any other blood elves.

The interrogator and captain quickly realized that Melu wasn't just ignoring them and honestly couldn't understand them. They and the two humans moved closer together for a private conference. After a moment they stood apart and looked at Melu again. The draenei took a step toward Melu and cast an uncertain glance at her captain. The dwarf nodded and crossed his arms, waiting.

The draenei knelt down in front of Melu, though still out of arms reach. After a moment, she finally uttered the single word, "Stormwind." Melu looked at her in dazed confusion, and then it hit her.

They were taking her to Stormwind to face a proper interrogator. She was going to Stormwind where she would never escape, and probably never see the faces of her brother and cousin ever again. The color drained from her face and her eyes lost focus. Sight and sound seemed to drift away in a blur and her stomach fell into a raging chaos of fire and ice.

Her heart screamed desperately at her to run, but her legs trembled so bad that the mage doubted she would even be able to stand. Melu knew she had to come up with an escape before they prepared for her departure. As hard as she tried to clear her mind, one word whispered itself over and over like a dark whirlpool._ Stormwind... Stormwind... Stormwind._


	3. Belong

**Ok last update for today, I think. I'm almost done with the latest chapter so that should be up as well soon enough. Didn't change much with this chapter, was kinda grasping at straws with the title though. I didn't like the old one, not sure how I feel about this new one either.**

**As always, R&R**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil & Co. are mine.  
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**Chapter Two: Belong.**

Solarian Soulbrand was what one might call 'obsessed.' Ever since he was a young boy, he would find one thing to devote his entire being to. His parents were both accomplished and well-respected citizens of Silvermoon. They first noticed his over-the-top behavior when his seemingly harmless curiosity toward hunters turned strange and unacceptable the day he expressed his undying love for his pet dragonhawk.

When the two adults couldn't drill the utter shame of the situation into the young boy's head, the father simply ended it all by killing the dragonhawk and burying it while Solarian was at school.

Solarian made himself sick crying over the death of his feathered friend; but just as quickly as his obsession had grown, the blood elf moved on to something else.

The elder Soulbrand's tried their hardest to steer his obsessive behavior toward constructive and morally acceptable activities, but they didn't always succeed. When they didn't, either his mother or father would destroy the object of his obsession. Solarian had fought them off with his entire being at first, then eventually, as he realized that he was weaker than them in both physical and mental prowess he learned to simply hide it.

But all of that was the past. He now had a _healthy _obsession that his parents fully approved of. It revolved completely around the death of every Alliance he came across, so really, would _anyone _who mattered object? Well, that was a moot point since the only one who mattered was himself.

Solarian remembered Melusina. He remembered her well. She would probably remember him, but the paladin noticed that she had the silly habit of blocking all negative memories she feasibly could. Last Solarian checked, having a practice sword slashed across your face was considered a bad memory.

Not in Solarian's case however, but that was most likely because it was his practice sword. It was just another normal day in Silvermoon City when he and three other young blood elves had ganged up on Melusina. Their bullying had escalated from their usual verbal teasing to a whole new level of physical abuse.

Solarian had never liked Melusina, but he always had high expectations of her. She was a Sunveil after all. Even if all but four of the esteemed blood knights and priestess' were dead, the talent was still there. To say that Melusina was worthless was completely foolish.

So when Solarian looked up in boredom from the mini-fencing competition he was having with a portly human warrior and saw Melusina as she was captured by the Alliance, he was beyond furious. He was borderline hysterical as conflicting emotions bombarded the pure rage, and he stood there a moment in dazed confusion.

He felt betrayed and angered that a blood elf with such a respectable name would be caught so easy. Because of her name she had been worthy of his attention. He wasn't obsessed with her, he didn't have the energy or patience for two focal points for his... passionate personality.

By being captured Melusina had failed to live up to both her name and his expectations. Solarian wasn't sure to laugh at the pitiful girl, to hunt her down and kill her for wasting his time, or to just cry.

Out of his peripheral vision, Solarian saw the broadsword as it came swinging down toward his head. Trying to catch him unaware, the human cried out in frustration as the blood elf nimbly dodged the blade stroke. Instead, the sword wedged itself deep into the tree trunk -an innocent victim in all this, really- and refused to budge.

Solarian let out a giggle, his mind still stuck on Melusina as he lifted his halberd. The human looked at him like the Soulbrand had lost his mind, and maybe he had; but the location of his mind was a trivial matter to Solarian. What mattered was the location of _Melusina. _

Solarian grinned maniacally as he cleaved the top half of the man's skull clean off. Yes, he would hunt down Melusina, and make her curse her parents for creating such a weak child.

_But first... _the paladin turned on his heel, walking swiftly up the ramp to the south, and beyond the Horde side of the gulch. _I won't have my damnable parents interfering this time. I'll speak with Champion Balderius of his youngest grandchild's treachery. If I get him on my side, my parents won't be able to object. After that... killing Melusina Sunveil will be a pitifully easy task, _Solarian thought to himself.

He had a good idea what the Alliance would be doing with the prisoners they kept alive; and he knew what he would have to do to get close enough to his prey to kill her.

††††

††††

Melu swallowed with great force as she stared up, petrified, at the large purple creature in front of her. It in turn snorted in her general direction, obviously uninterested, but the message was clear. _Touch me and I'll stomp you to death._

They didn't really expect her to ride that... did they?

Melu had spent a good few hours in the Alliance hold before her captors were ready to leave. They kept the mage locked in a small room with several other captured members of the Horde, carefully watched over by a pair of sentinels.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the captain threw the door open. The draenei stood like an elegant statue behind him as she simply said, "Stand. Move."

Melu was the first to rise to her feet. She felt a wave of embarrassment when she realized how quickly she obeyed the orders of her enemy as her allies struggled rebelliously to stay seated.

She and six others were tied in a line, hands and feet bound together with only a foot at best of personal space. Melu kept her eyes locked on her hands as the rogue from before strode up to her and roughly grabbed her hair.

A blood elf toward the back of the line objected to his comrade being man-handled -though Melu suspected it was mostly because any sudden movements sent the whole line falling like dominos. The old sin'dorei was ignored and Melu was half dragged to the makeshift stables out back.

Which was where she now stood, staring in absolute terror at the largest elekk she had ever seen. Granted, it was the first and only elekk she had ever seen, but that was beside the point. Melu's first day to the gulch she had spent a good 10 minutes gapping at a pair of kodos, then squealed in surprise when one of them shifted slightly. Needless to say, large things scared her.

Melu had been constantly reminded that she was bigger than most girls her age. While she wasn't obese, she was still _fat _to the others. In fact, in her age group, the only blood elves bigger than her were the men. So the thought of things out there in the world that were _that _much larger than her just seemed down right unnatural.

She had little to no contact with the other Horde races until she left the city, and when she did, she was immediately intimidated be each and every one of them. Especially the tuaren, despite their generally pleasant and gentle personalities, the sheer mass of them scared Melu witless.

Melu remembered Balderius' angry and ashamed expression as she confessed as a young girl her fear of the dragonhawks that flitted harmlessly around the estate. Their expansive wingspan always gave the girl a mini heart attack.

Big things didn't just scare Melu.

They _terrified _her.

So when the two humans in charge of escorting the prisoners began unhooking the elekk and a couple of horses from the stable, Melu felt herself begin to visibly shake.

"Are you alright child?" a deep voice asked gently. Melu gasped and jumped away, causing everyone in the line to stumble toward her. The fact that the one who had spoken to her -and the one about to fall snout first onto her- was a tauren wasn't helping the girl's anxiety attack any.

The three Alliance looked up from packing their mounts at the sudden commotion. The man, the human rogue who had caught Melu, shouted something at the line, striding forward with a hand reaching for his short sword.

"By the Sunwell, child! Calm down! You're going to get us all killed!" the blood elf from earlier hissed sharply and Melu immediately froze, still staring wide eyed at the elekk. Was he suggestion that the rogue was threatening to feed them all to his purple creature of fat destruction?

Melu stood as still as a statue after that. A stifled shiver ran over her body every time the elekk or tauren shifted or swayed. The three captors quickly packed up their gear and and turned to the prisoners.

The man grabbed the end of the rope that led to Melu's wrists and pulled hard, sending the whole line hurtling forward. Straight toward the elekk. Melu's eyes widened as she back tracked, forcefully shoving the tuaren behind her into the orc behind him.

"What are you doing?" The old blood elf cried, shuffling backwards as fast as his tethered feet would allow him.

"Don't give them any more reasons to kill us, fool!" the young orc huntress growled, shoving the tauren forward. Melu refused to budge and the two young women found themselves in a futile game to over power each other, completely ignoring the innocent tauren stuck in the middle.

The two Alliance women watched in mild surprise and amusement as the man tugged Melu forward again, impatience and frustration written clearly on his face.

A heavy hand landed on Melu's shoulder and she looked up wide eyed and tearful as the tuaren rumbled, "It will be fine, child. I think I have a good idea what's upsetting you, but you'll be _fine._"

Melu stopped pushing against the tauren and looked hesitantly at the elekk. Her fear of both it and the tauren weren't going to dissipate that quickly; but the tauren was trying to help her out of that fear. She couldn't just ignore that and risk getting him killed with her continued struggling.

_Besides, _Melu thought to herself, though not very convincingly, _It's just for a little while. We'll be in Stormwind in no time, where I'll never have to see that great beast again. Where they have little gnomes, and humans, and... draenei... Anyway! Tiny people! And maybe she's only taking the elekk because someone took her horse? Maybe she'll switch at the next stop?_

Feeling a little better with her little mental pep-talk, Melu took a shaky breath and followed the human to the side of the elekk where he tied the rope to the saddle.

"Unbelievable..." the older blood elf muttered. Melu blushed in embarrassment as the draenei above shouted for silence.

The group traveled for several hours through the wet forest of Ashenvale. The human girl, who Melu was beginning to suspect was the young man's sister, began chatting away with anyone who would respond almost immediately after leaving the gulch. After both the rogue and the shaman stopped responding to her, kept rambling anyway, ignoring her companions obvious disdain for the lack of silence.

The forest was dark and cool and she didn't even realize until the leader of their little parade stopped that the sun was setting. Melu and the others were herded into a circle, facing away from each other. Their ankle bindings were staked to the ground. After checking each of them thoroughly, the humans felt satisfied that they weren't going anywhere and moved on to their own things.

As the three Alliance began setting up their tents, Melu realized that they weren't going to give them any sort of blankets or covering to block the steady rain that was coming down. Melu frowned. Did they really intend to bring this group to Stormwind? Or did they want them to die of pneumonia before even reaching Astranaar?

Fat drops of rain rolling off her skin and soaking into her thin dress reminded the mage that her molten armor spell had long since worn off. Looking up, Melu noticed the tauren cast a considerate glance her way and then turn his head toward the orc.

"We will be much warmer if we stay closer together, there's no reason for any of us to get sick," the old tauren said to both Melu and the orc woman. As she hesitantly leaned up against him, the tauren (who then introduced himself as Whitehorn) repeated the suggestion to the others in the circle.

The only ones who took his advice were Melu, and the elder blood elf next to her. A troll looked like he wanted to also take Whitehorn's advice, but he was stuck between two forsaken and wouldn't find much heat.

Melu had the least trouble falling asleep in the rain. As a fire mage, she had been conditioned to deal with heat that would kill most mortals. But not cold. No, Melu wasn't too good with the cold or the wet. She felt she handled it much better than most would expect, but she still wasn't able to will herself to sleep. The druid and warlock on either side of her weren't fairing so well and shifted and twitched quite often, waking her up. Eventually Melu was able to ignore the rain and her living pillow and drift to sleep.

Melu woke up flailing the next morning. The human man, anxious to get an early head start, deftly pulled out all the stakes and pulled Melu up to her feet using the rope before anyone was even awake.

With a fearful, groggy moan, Melu woke from a slow-motion nightmare that decided to speed up the moment she tripped and fell down a cliff with hundreds of evil elekks at the bottom.

Melu gasped, then coughed as she choked on her own breath of air. Looking around in confusion she remembered quickly where she was and what was happening. Melu glared darkly at the elekk grazing on a nearby tree.

No way would she suffer another day of that beast!

The human girl, who had been watching the whole thing in amusement, said something to her brother in a bright and chipper tone. He paused, glancing between Melu and the girl before responding slowly, uncertainly.

The paladin spoke again, this time exasperated. She was trying to convince him of something, but Melu had no idea of what. After a moment of the two glaring at each other -the draenei suddenly became extremely busy with packing- the man sighed and his shoulders drooped, defeated. He tugged Melu's rope, leading her away from the elekk and toward the girl's charger instead.

Melu could have cried with joy as she obediently followed the human without a fuss. He shot her a quizzical glance, but said nothing. Not that he could and get an actual answer anyway.

With everything prepared, the party set off again. With growing predictability, the human paladin excitedly began chattering away to her brother and the draenei. When neither responded, she pouted. Turning a curiosity filled chocolate brown eye on the line of prisoners behind her, the girl said something.

It took Melu a moment to realize she was addressing them and not her companions. When she repeated whatever it was more slowly, Melu looked up at her, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. The girl frowned, and flipped over in her saddle, facing the captives.

The man snapped at her, obviously ordering her to turn around and face the right direction, but she ignored him. With a dismissive wave toward the rogue, she turned her attention back to the Horde line. Reaching down, she brushed the rope that lead to Melu's wrist.

She said a single word once, then again. She spoke in common, unlike the draenei who at least tried to use a language the Horde spoke. After the third time, Melu was slowly able to break down the syllables.

"Rope."

She tried again with, "Saddle."

After getting no response, but seeing Melu's eyes trained on her, the girl tried a different tactic. Motioning to herself, she said another word. This seemed to aggravate both the man and the draenei woman, who spoke to her in scolding voices. She ignored both of them, waiting with a mockingly bored expression on her face until they were quiet.

Trying again and again until Melu could make the word, the blood elf finally heard, "Tai." She heard the others in her line mutter between themselves.

"What does she think she's doing?"

"The nerve."

It finally dawned on Melu and she felt silly for not realizing it the first time. The human was introducing herself, and in turn, was asking for Melu's name. Her mouth opened and closed uncertainly, her own bashfulness getting in the way of her ability to speak as it often did.

The paladin's eyes lit up as she leaned forward, obviously excited that _someone _was actually going to respond to her. The man and draenei watched dubiously over their shoulders.

Melu jumped in surprise as one of Whitehorn's large hands dropped on her head suddenly. She looked up him as he shook his head silently. The message was subtle but clear enough. Don't speak with them. They're the enemy. Don't associate with them.

The human scowled and huffed, turning to face the front, pointedly ignoring everyone for as long as her talkative nature would permit her.

Melu sighed. Hopefully, that little scene would be as interesting as this death march would get. She knew she had to figure out a way out of there, and she knew that they outnumbered their captors at about 2:1.

However, with their untreated injuries, depleted mana and half-starved bodies, Melu knew that the Alliance really had nothing to worry about from them. If she couldn't come up with a plan before they reached Auberdine, Melu knew she would never see Silvermoon again.

* * *

**_"You belong to me, my snow white queen_**

**_There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over_**

**_Soon I know you'll see, you're just like me_**

**_Don't scream anymore, my love, 'cause all I want is you."_**

**Snow White Queen - Evanescence_  
_**


	4. Repetition

**The latest chapter is finished and I'm working on the next one, but first I want to finish editing these chapters so there's no weird plot-holes or inconsistencies. Thank you to everyone waiting patiently!**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Tai, Feng, and Ziza belong to me.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Repetition**

It was now the fifth day in their travel, and still no Astranaar in sight. What was in sight?

Trees, trees, shrubbery, trees...

And what?

Oh yeah...

Trees.

Melu had never seen so much green in all her life. Silvermoon City after all, was decidedly _not _green, nor was it silver. Red and gold streaked across the city vibrantly. The citadel itself was a light clay color, but it wasn't often that you could see the stones past all the banners, floating flower pots, and bejeweled lamps that littered the streets and homes.

Eversong woods was a constant autumn, with twisting trees that looked ablaze with their leaves. The dragonhawk's leathery, kaleidoscopic wings shimmered from a deep orange to a pale yellow, intensifying the autumn feeling.

How could the night elves honestly be happy living in such a wet and _green _place? It was like living in _mold. _Melu's shoulder's stiffened at her own comparison, and glanced at the ground.

It wasn't really mold, was it?

Melu had no idea how far they were from the night elf village, and if it weren't for the Alliance perched confidently on their mounts, Melu would have assumed they were lost.

_Actually... I _still _think we're lost, _she thought grumpily, trudging after Tai's horse.

The beginning of the third day had been hell for Melu. As a blood elf her unbearable addiction to magic hit her like a wave of fire and she could barely move when she woke up that day. Trembling, she tried desperately to hold herself at bay from siphoning magic from everyone in the camp.

Luckily for both her and the warlock who was suffering from the same withdrawal, the tauren explained to the Alliance translator what was happening to them. From then on, Melu was allowed to use her magic to summon food for herself and her fellow captives each day. The warlock was given back his soul shards, which weren't much, but helped him relax just enough to keep him moving. They were also allowed ten minutes of meditation each morning while camp was packed up. It was a pitiful amount of time, not even enough to calm her nerves, but it would have to do.

It was only the middle of the day, but the man called for a stop in their parade. Sliding off his horse, he spoke to the two women who nodded in reply. Casting one last wary glance at the train of Horde behind them, he disappeared into the woods.

Melu and the others resumed their normal circle and watched as the Alliance set up camp. The mage raised her eyebrows quizzically as she noticed Tai glancing back at her every now and then.

The young woman checked on her horse, lightly running a hand along the flank of the pinto before skipping over to Melu. With a cheshire grin, the paladin crouched down across from the prisoners. Chocolate brown eyes looking directly at Melu's own glowing apple green orbs.

Trying once more to converse with Melu, she introduced herself again and again with no response from the captive.

Melu listened to her patiently as she then said the names of her brother ("Feng." Melu thought only the tauren and orcs named their people after body parts?) and the draenei ("Ziza" Melu wanted to -out of pure curiosity- try to pronounce the name, but remembered Whitehorn's warning.)

After getting no response yet again, Ying-Tai sighed, cupped her chin in her hand, and stared at Melu as if trying to solve a puzzle. As she stared, Melu took the moment to inspect Tai and the others. Until that moment she hadn't felt brave enough to stare very long at her captors.

Tai was probably the youngest of the three, with a gentle face and small chin. Her eyes were an almond shape and had a constant mischievous sparkle. Her skin was a shade paler than her brothers. Her black hair was a short, spiky halo. It was styled so that it swooped forward to meet the bangs framing her face.

She was maybe an inch shorter than Melu, but the blood elf wasn't sure, since the only time the girl got close to her was when Melu was sitting, staked to the ground, and Tai would kneel a good distance away from her, rightfully cautious. Casting a quick glance up and down, Melu noted with a pang of jealousy that the girl was almost as slim as the average blood elf.

The shaman, Ziza, was a stoic creature who stood head and shoulders above Tai. Her hair fell like a midnight curtain draped over one eye. Her horns curled to the back of her head, unlike tauren who's horns general pointed up or forward. With ashen lilac skin and glowing eyes, Ziza was just too ethereal for Melu.

Both lost in their own trains of thought, Melu and Tai jumped as Feng's voice rang out from the other end of the small camp. Even if she couldn't see him or understand his words, she could tell from his tone that the rogue was quickly losing patience with his sister.

Tai scrambled to her feet and ran to meet her brother as he appeared from behind the horses, a dead stag dragging behind him. Melu hadn't realized he had been gone that long. She glanced around and realized the camp was already all set up.

Eyes slowly traveling over to the brother, Melu inspected him as subtly as possible. _He has eyes in the back of his head,_ she was convinced. He was a few inches taller than Melu, probably considered average height for his race. With tan skin and inky black hair that stuck up in a ridiculously unkempt fashion.

His eyes were a startling bright blue. His face was more slender, seemingly stuck in the frown he wore. Unlike his sister who was a constant river of giggles and chit-chat, Feng was quiet, always scowling, always tense. Melu wasn't sure who she disliked more, him or the draenei.

The blood elf beside her sighed before turning to Melu.

"That Alliance sure has some nerve trying to speak to us. Who does she think she is? Chief Thunder-Skins?" he grumbled, shifting stiffly. A few others muttered in agreement.

A short scoff erupted from the orc as she asked, "How would an old man like you know Chief Thunder-Skins? Aren't the Chieftains a bit young for you?"

The warlock scowled. "I'm not _that _old, but you're right, I have no interest in the Chieftains, I only know of them because of their frequent visits to Silvermoon. You would think they were the only men left in existence with the way the women hound them." The orc just shook her head. Melu simply opted out of the conversation. She wasn't a big fan of the Chieftains.

Melu's mind wandered back to Tai. She didn't think the human was doing this for any arrogant, self-serving reasons, and she wasn't trying to interrogate them. That was what Ziza was for, and even she couldn't do it due her inadequate skill with the orcish language. Not that Melu had a right to talk when it came to orcish. However, the paladin's true intentions were still a complete mystery to her.

The concept of time gradually began to slip away from Melu as the party traveled on a tight, repeating schedule. Wake up, eat, pack camp, walk, stop, set up camp, eat, sleep. The idea of breaking free of the group habit now seemed strange and foreign to Melu. While she knew she was supposed to be thinking of a way to escape, thinking of anything at all was becoming increasingly difficult as Melu's magical addiction, depression of her situation, and over all lack of physical health weighed down on her.

Melu and the other Horde were nearly dragged off their feet when Tai jolted her horse excitedly at the sight of Astraanar. Feng shouted a warning to his sister, keeping her in check all the way to the inn where they dropped down from their mounts.

A pair of sentinels, who had watched them since the group crossed the bridge, greeted them before motioning to Melu and the others. Feng and the two sentinels spoke briefly before turning to the captives.

With a signal from her brother, Tai untied the rope attached to Melu's wrist and tossed it to the sentinel closest to her. The night elf caught it swiftly, her eyes traveling from the rope she held to Melu.

When their eyes met, the night elf glared darkly and yanked the line forcefully. Melu and Whitehorn toppled over. The orc stooped over awkwardly, but otherwise was able to save the rest of them from embarrassing themselves.

Whitehorn straightened himself while Melu stood, smoothing her hair and scowling at the sentinel.

"What's your problem?" Melu cried, turning to look at the night elf, only to have her head snap back as a stinging slap was delivered to her cheek. Voices were raised and weapons flashed in the moonlight threateningly.

Melu glanced at Feng and the other two, but only Ziza watched as the captives were herded toward the small jail house. Feng and Ying-Tai had their backs turned to them, Feng whispering something to his sister. Even through all the shouting, Melu could hear Tai's voice raise in frustration.

She didn't give the arguing siblings a second thought as the group was shoved roughly into a dark, wet cell. As the iron door shut with a mocking screech, Melu stiffened, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. Looking up at the lone window, Melu glared spitefully at the moon.

Who knew how many more days they had before arriving at Auberdine? Each setting sun was a reminder of how much closer she and the others were to torture and death.

"...rl..."

What would she do if they really did make it all the way to Stormwind?

"...Girl..."

She couldn't imagine suffering through the things the Alliance would do to her. However she couldn't even think of gathering enough courage to take her own life before the interrogators got to her.

"You! Girl!"

Melu jumped, startled by the impatient hiss behind her. Tearing her eyes away from the window, she turned to the warlock and Whitehorn. The small group was huddled together, waiting for the lone mage to join them. She shuffled around to face them.

"We're forming a plan to escape, child, and we will need your full attention," Whitehorn rumbled. Melu swallowed nervously and nodded, not trusting her voice to actually form words.

For the first time since they left the gulch, one of the forsaken pair spoke, "We need to make our escape before we reach the Darkshore border. After leaving Astraanar, and those vile humans have set up camp for the night, we will each break free from our bindings."

The troll nodded. "Ya mon. Even if they wake up... Even if we not rested like da Alli' we still got da bigger group."

The orc slammed her fist on the stone floor. "We should kill them anyway! So they can't hunt us down or call for help!"

"I second the barbarian," the warlock muttered. The huntress rounded on him with a murderous scowl.

Whitehorn interrupted before the fighting could progress further. "Enough!" He waited a moment to see if the silence was really going to last. "We will kill the Alliance if necessary. If a fight does come to pass, then these three-" Whitehorn motioned to Melu, the orc and the forsaken who spoke earlier. "-Will slow them down- again, kill them if slowing them is impossible- Once we have successfully escaped, we will make our way to the Zoram'gar Outpost."

Whitehorn looked at each member of the group. When he glanced at Melu she tried her best to plaster a confident smile on her face, but as he turned away a wave of despair washed over her.

While it was the best- and only- plan they had at that moment, Melu couldn't help but feel doubt. The likeliness that any of them would escape alive, much less reach the Outpost, was very low.

While the others went over the finer details of their plan, Melu returned to watching the moon outside her tiny, unreachable window.


	5. Seven To One

**I know in the original version of this chapter, Feng was an emotionless jerk. Hopefully, he's a bit better. I didn't change the scene between him and the warlock too much, just because enemies aren't gonna act like BFF's in a situation like that. Either way, please leave a review if you think it's better or worse!**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng, Tai, and Ziza belong to me.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Seven to One**

Feeling far more skittish than she had in the recent days since her capture, Melu tried to hide her trembling hands as the group broke camp once again. It had been three days of forced march after leaving Astraanar and they were finally nearing the border.

At first, the Alliance trio seemed to grow more and more tense the further from Astraanar they got, but as signs of the border neared, they relaxed visibly. Melu thought maybe it was because Feng seemed particularly sensitive to her nervous behavior, but then that didn't explain the two women.

The longer they walked the more on edge the Horde became. Melu could barely handle the tense atmosphere and felt it weigh her down with each step.

The sky was starting to grow dark when a piercing shriek suddenly erupted from behind Melu that made her heart shudder. As best she could, she swiveled her torso around to look at the back of the line. Out of the shadows of the looming trees, five bandits came charging out. Melu never had any past run in's with bandits before, and seeing former member of both the Alliance and the Horde charging at them confused her. Was she supposed to treat them as enemies or comrades? Her mind went blank.

"Fucking cultists!" the orc hissed, looking between the enemy and her bound wrists in ferocious frustration.

_Oh lovely, religious fanatics, _Melu thought to herself, her sarcasm coming back at the most inopportune time, as always. She had no qualms with religion, though she made no point of understanding it either. She only disliked those who tried to force her "under their wing."

The three Alliance dismounted immediately and ran to intercept the attacks on the caboose of their prisoner train. With a clean sweep of his twin blades, Feng dismembered a nearby forsaken cultist before moving on to another. Tai joined her brother as Ziza, surrounded by her totems, casted spells swiftly in the background.

The smell of wet earth, smoke, and carnage filled her nostrils as the mage stood rooted to her spot, terrified.

Melu wasn't sure what happened next. Whether she actually heard the sound of rushing feet, whether it was Whitehorn's face falling slack, or whether it was purely instinct, she wasn't sure. Melu dropped to the ground, curling up in a tied ball with a sudden new found freedom as the ropes around her were torn to shreds. Whitehorn fell with a heavy thud and Melu heard the huntress scream in fury.

Legs rained down around her and swords and torches swung above her. Melu didn't make a sound as strong feet kicked her clear of their path. She didn't lift her head or open her eyes. Melu just stayed absolutely still as all the sounds and smells of death washed over her.

She knew she had to get up, this was the perfect distraction to get up and escape. The Alliance would just think she had been killed or captured by the cultists. The young blood elf had now been in more than enough scrapes to know when it was no longer dishonorable to just turn tail and run; but there was a difference in those little scuffles, and being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even if she wanted to, Melu highly doubted her terror clouded brain could manage enough coherent thoughts to will her to her feet.

Melu was so wrapped up in her own reality, she didn't even notice the enraged voices fade or the retreating footsteps. A startled cry hiccuped out from her lips as the young woman was violently lifted to her feet. Melu opened her eyes wide to see Feng, eyes cold and distant, face and arms covered in blood. She seriously questioned her sanity for not fleeing when she had the chance.

Desperate to focus on anything but him, Melu glanced around for her comrades. She felt her stomach sink and her heart give a heavy thump as her eyes landed on Whitehorn. Slack jaw bent in an awkward angle, and neck soaked bloody with a gapping knife wound; he was probably dead before he hit the ground.

Melu gagged at the sight of the huntress who's bowels had been scattered across the ground during the fight. The troll and the two forsaken were no where to be found. A small spark of hope ignited in Melu. _Maybe they were able to escape? _She thought, _I hope so... and I hope they send help._

A low moan and a muttered curse in thalassian caught Melu's attention. Looking around furtively, she saw the bloody body of the warlock a few feet away. Before she could even step toward the older sin'dorei, the rogue dropped Melu to the ground and limped over to the wounded prisoner.

A sudden movement, the soft _clink _of armor made Melu jump, thinking it was another ambush. Snapping her head around to search for the source, she found Tai kneeling down next to the battered body of Ziza. Melu watched in muted fascination as the human girl murmured something continuously in her language, her hands moving as she spoke.

Was she praying? Melu wasn't sure. The proper funeral rites preformed by priests and paladins were different for each race. For all she knew, Tai was deciding which part of Ziza she would eat first.

"S-Sunveil..."

Melu's face fell slack in surprise as she looked at the warlock again, his own eyes bleary and narrowed with pain as he coughed and reached weakly for her. Ignoring Feng's scowl, she moved next to the other blood elf. Seeing the pained face set in determined hope, she immediately regretted it. She knew what he was going to ask.

"Heal me," he pleaded.

Melu bit her lip, her face burning in shame at not being able to do her fellow sin'dorei this one simple request.

"I-I... I can't," she struggled to say, wondering if her voice was working at all, or if she imagined hearing herself say those words.

The warlock's face twisted in terror at her refusal. "What? Y-" a fit of coughing interrupted him and Melu shrunk back, another wave of guilt hitting her full force. "You're a _Sunveil! _A priestess! You have to be! What the fuck else could you be?"

"I... m-mage... you knew," Melu stuttered, tears pricking her eyes, hiccups of air beginning to slur her speech. Feng watch the two of them, making no move to put a stop to the argument.

"The fuck I did!" the warlock growled, blood trickling from his lips as he glared at Melu. There was no doubt in her mind that he hated her more than he hated the Alliance that captured them in that moment. "You're a priestess! Now heal me, _please!" _

"I can't!" Melu sobbed. She couldn't take it anymore, shielding her face with her hands, the little mage sat there, wailing bitterly at her own uselessness. _I should've listened to Grandfather! I should've became a priestess! What are mages good for anyway? Nothing! I should never have even left the city! I hate this! _Curling into a ball again, Melu cried to herself and to the blood elf she couldn't save, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

††††

††††

Feng watched in growing frustration as the two sin'dorei conversed. It seemed that the male asked for something the female couldn't give, or maybe didn't want to. Either way, she was crying, he was dying, and Feng was stuck listening.

Wonderful.

_Prisoner transfer duty, was _not _what I signed up for, _he thought darkly. Turning to his sister, he saw the young woman had finished praying for Ziza and was looking at him with her usual condescending expression again, though with the sudden loss of their companion, it didn't carry the same playfulness.

"What?" He growled.

"What did you do to her?"

He scowled, something he found himself doing quite a lot on this trip. "I didn't do shit, _they _got in a fight. Now get over here and heal him, Tai. Maybe it'll shut you're girlfriend up."

Tai gave a sigh and a sad smile. Both of them had taken an emotional toll at the death of Ziza; Feng simply had an unpleasant way of dealing with it.

"Tsk, tsk. Just because you're bad with women, doesn't mean you have the right to take it out on me."

Of course, Tai didn't help matters.

_Whatever, I hate it when women cry... even if they _are _Horde, _Feng thought to himself, but didn't say it out loud. Tai was a bit of a feminist, and would even defend a Horde woman depending on what was said about her.

With his chin rested in his palm, he watched his little sister go to work healing the prisoner. The warlock snarled and spat something in thalassian. The mage said something in her whimpering, hiccuping voice, but was silenced by a withering glare. _Hmm, making enemies of everyone now? He should be more careful. _Like a coiled serpent, Feng reached over from his crouched position and slapped a hand over the blood elf's mouth.

"This guy's getting too damn loud. He should try conserving energy." The mage beside him cringed and inched away. Tai glared at him, but continued to heal silently. She wasn't trained specifically to heal others, only herself when necessary. Feng knew this would take quite a bit of energy out of Tai when she was finished.

Life slowly seeped back into the elf, though when Tai was finished, he still had some gaping wounds pooling the already soaked earth. Feng bit back a sigh. _Great, went from total goner to soon-to-be goner. _Feng glanced at the mage. _That leaves us _one_ prisoner, out of the seven_ _we left with. _The frustrated man let loose a long, forlorn sigh. _I don't want to deal with this shit._

Tai sat back on her heels and took a shaky breath. Healing started with the smaller scrapes and worked it's way to the deeper, deadlier injuries as more energy was poured into the victim.

"I tried my best, but..." Tai's voice trailed off as she shook her head.

Feng rubbed his hands together slowly. "He not gonna make it to Auberdine," he said, finishing his sister's unspoken statement. The warlock had his eyes closed now, muttering incoherently. The mage had finally stopped crying, and watched them with red puffy eyes.

Casually, Feng rested his chin in his palm again, glanced at Tai and muttered, "Saddle up. She rides with you. Silence her so she can't cast anything." He ignored her questioning look as he waited, crouched beside the warlock.

Tai rose to her feet and herded the blood elf girl to her horse. The mage whimpered but followed obediently.

"So, now... you kill me?" Feng looked down at the warlock, eyebrows raised in mild surprise.

"You know common."

The warlock scoffed. "I am not that girl. Not inexperienced whelp. If you saved me, perhaps you would learn, but too late now."

Feng didn't so much as twitch at the new bit of information the warlock tried to bait him with. "Yeah, too late now," he echoed apathetically. With blurred speed, Feng reached forward and snapped the blood elf's neck.

A piercing scream rang out from behind him. Feng rose slowly and strode to his horse, ignoring the sobbing mage completely as he mounted up.

"Holy fuck! Next time you plan on killing one of her friends, _actually _tell me so I can at least knock her out!" Tai shouted, elbowing the young woman behind her in frustration.

"I told you to silence her. You and I both know he would have suffered a long and painful death and never even make it to Auberdine. I didn't like it, but it was the only option left." Glancing between his sister and the elf, he sighed, "C'mon, let's get out of here." Feng urged his horse forward. They were still a week away from Auberdine, with no idea when the next boat would be arriving. They had to hurry. There was nothing in this world Feng wanted more than to be at home and pretend this stupid war wasn't happening; and he'd be damned if some weak blood elf was going to slow him down.


	6. Tag Team

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng, Tai, and Dirven belong to me.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Tag Team**

"Try again: _Black._"

"Blaaaahhhk."

"Good!" Tai cheered, a ridiculously happy grin threatened to split her face in two. It had now been two days since they crossed the border into Darkshore. With Auberdine on the far north end of the country, Tai had deemed teaching Melu common the most proper pastime.

Melu blushed at the compliment, her whole face blooming a deep pink that she tried vainly to cover with her hands. Her learning process was slow and limited, especially since Feng seemed to dislike the whole idea immensely.

Tai glared at the woman behind her mischievously. "Now what were the other words I taught you?" At Melu's blank stare, she said again slowly, "Again. Everything."

Biting her lip in concentration, she paused as she tried each word silently before saying them aloud. "Blahk... Treee... Horsse... Swooord... Saahddle..." Melu grew silent again. What was the last word? She knew this one! This was the one they spent the longest on. Melu pouted and huffed as she racked her brain for the answer.

Her train of thought came to a crashing halt as Feng muttered something to Tai and the paladin said with a dramatic sigh, "Road."

_Road! Yes! I knew that, because it's like... like... _Melu made a face as she realized the severe lack of similarity between common and thalassian. Of all the Alliance languages, Melu would have had an easier time learning darnassian. Although, just because the two languages shared similar grammatical structures and terminologies, didn't give any respectable sin'dorei the excuse to _speak _darnassian to another.

_I may be shy, but if Solarian himself were to say so much as a, "Ishnu-" whatever... I would've slapped him silly. _The image of slapping her childhood tormentor played itself over in her mind and Melu shuddered. _And then I would run away._

By the end of the day, Tai tried to teach Melu four different greetings and farewells. She could only manage "Heyllo" and by then she had forgotten "Road" again.

Whether he was feeling merciful or had simply gotten sick of listening to Tai repeat the same words to Melu over and over again, Feng convinced his sister to give the girl a break. They set up camp in blessed silence.

Melu looked around at the woods of Darkshore. This place was just as wet as Ashenvale, but darker and colder. The mist from the ocean hung in the air like cold smoke, inescapable, covering everything. It would take far wetter or colder weather conditions to bother the mage. The two humans, on the other hand, looked like they could live without the fog. The animals here were much more inclined to wander into their camp and try taking a bite out of one of them in their sleep. Feng made a habit of killing all the animals within a short radius of their camp before actually settling down for food.

Melu looked up and watched as Tai rose to her feet. A small spark of panic bloomed in her chest as the paladin waved at her brother before disappearing into the forest. Where was she going? Why was she leaving Melu there with Feng? _I don't wanna be stuck with him! _Melu's internal voice sobbed.

The rogue sat down on the dirt across from her. The only thing between the two was the most pathetic fire Melu had ever seen. Though she doubted she could make a better fire in the constant drizzle. Feng sent a quick glare in the blood elf's direction before promptly ignoring her presence altogether.

Melu seethed. She may have been unbearably shy, she may have been stupid enough to get caught by the Alliance, but she was _not _this mere human's chew toy to tear apart and look down on whenever he pleased.

"If Remiel and Haphaestus were here, you wouldn't last a s_econd, _you stubby-eared bastard,_" _Melu muttered, playing with the ends of her skirt.

Feng's eyes narrowed dangerously, clearly understanding the tone in her voice. Sensing a sudden motion out of her peripheral vision, Melu's survival instincts kicked in as she threw herself, tumbling backwards. The look of surprise on Feng's face was the one thing she noticed before the sudden sweet rush of arcane energy filled her. With flames circling her hands, the ropes burnt away and she made a mad dash for the woods. Her shoulders bunched at the sensation of Feng closing in on her. Her mind on panic-driven auto-pilot, she whirled on her heel and attempted to deliver a flaming slap to the rogue's face.

The man changed momentum and back-pedaled, dodging her then continuing his advance in one fluid swoop. Fear of the more experienced fighter now completely over-shadowed all-attempts to flee. Now, Melu simply wanted Feng _out of her space. _She scampered backwards as fast as her tired, bruised feet could carry her. Channeling the fire into her palms, the mage threw a flurry of fireballs at the man, all of which he dodged with such ease it made Melu's blood boil. Feng leapt after the woman.

Melu yelped and did what any self-respecting mage would do in the that situation.

She ran.

_I think I can get away if it's just him. Maybe. I don't know how this will go if she suddenly shows up, _Melu thought, her mind flashing briefly to the paladin. She ran blindly through the forest, too scared to look behind her, but she could still hear him. Despite being a rogue, he didn't seem to be making any attempts at stealth when dealing with her.

A motion caught the elf's eye, and she looked over to her left to see Tai, staring dumbstruck as her brother chased Melu further into the forest. The human woman blinked rapidly as she remembered herself, a determined expression cast over her face and she reached out, muttering something Melu couldn't hear. The blood elf didn't get the chance to dodge, or even stop running before a flash of light ripped through her, hotter than fire. The last thing she remembered was screaming, then the earth rushing up to meet her.

††††

††††

Tai glanced up from the crumpled body of the blood elf to her brother.

"Honestly? I was gone for how long?" Feng stretched his muscles, checking for injuries. His only response was an unamused grunt. "Do I have to put you two in separate corners or something?" He glared. "Oh, come on, it was a little funny."

"This whole thing has turned out to be a hell of a lot more trouble than it's worth," Feng grumbled, running a hand through his messy hair. Tai nodded.

"And whether we bring her to Stormwind alive or not, they're still going to take us off the field for a month at least for losing so many captives," Tai added glumly. The two stood there silently. They knew what they had to do, they simply didn't want to do it. Both of them would rather be anywhere doing anything instead of escorting prisoners. There were too many risks with the slow travel through rough terrain, with your enemy tied to your horse ready to kill you at any given opportunity.

Feng and Tai had no qualms with killing the enemy, but they knew how the Inquisitor in Stormwind worked and the siblings both found it to be rather barbaric. Which was just one more reason they were dragging their feet on this mission.

The older brother simply shook his head. "Well, what're we going to do? Just leave her here and walk back to Stormwind with nothing?"

Tai scoffed. "Like that was even an option."

"Exactly, so let's just get this over with."

He scooped up the elf and carried her back to camp, double checking the rope as he tied her. It was their last bit of rope, if she destroyed this one, keeping her in line would get _even more _troublesome.

"It's been raining for days, Feng. If we keep leaving her out here like this, she'll get sick and die before we even reach the docks."

"Well she sure as hell isn't sleeping with me," Feng grumbled.

A sly smirk twitched across Tai's face and her dark eyes met his. "Why? Because she tried to turn you into a pile of ash? Or because you're shy?"

Feng gave her a grouchy glare before unceremoniously tossing the blood elf in Tai's tent.

"Hey! Ass!" Tai whined, but situated the prisoner's unconscious body before crawling in beside her. "I'll get you back, just you wait," she muttered half-heartedly. She straightened as a thought suddenly hit her. Looking at her brother she asked, "Hey, why were you going so easy on her? It wouldn't 'f taken you any effort to catch her, so why'd it take you so long?"

Feng was silent for a moment as he looked slowly between his sister and the blood elf. Eventually, he mumbled, "I just... Do you get the feeling she's not supposed to be here?"

Tai blinked, not sure if she heard him right. "Huh?"

"Never mind, shut up and go to sleep," Feng replied with a tired sigh. Settling down in his own mat, he listened to the sounds of the forest and the two women sleeping in the tent beside him before finally drifting off.

††††

††††

_I. Hate. Everything._

Melu woke up the next morning feeling like one giant bruise. Her attitude soured more as she noticed the rope she had gotten free of last night was replaced. The human siblings ignored her as they busily broke camp.

_I'm a damn fire mage. I'm supposed to strike fear in the hearts of mortals and burn a path of destruction in my wake and I can't even manage to escape from two Alliance? What's wrong with me? _Melu withered beneath her own black cloud of self-loathing. Despite her frustration and embarrassment at her failure, Melu refused to believe that the painful demise waiting for her was something she deserved. _I just graduated from the academy for Sun's sake. Of course I'm not going to be as good a fighter as they are... maybe I should return to Magister Dawnwind for more training when I get back to Silvermoon._

Melu stared at the soaked ground with a lost, vacant look in her eyes as she corrected herself, "..._If_ I get back..." The young woman was quiet and submissive as Feng lifted her onto the back of Tai's horse, tying her wrists behind her back to the horse's saddle. It was a ridiculous place to have her hands, but Melu knew it was simply insurance that she wouldn't cast any spells into his sister's back.

_I can't take them both by myself. If I want to escape and still have enough life left in me to get to a Horde outpost, I'll need to be sneaky. I'll need a distraction._

"Halt there, vile humans! You shall go no further!"

"Huh?" Melu said intelligently, broken out of her reservoir of train wreck thoughts. Peeking over Tai's shoulder, she spotted the traditional crimson and golden armor of a blood elf paladin. Melu felt her face light up like the sun as her two captors dismounted.

_"I strongly suggest you get out of our way," _Feng growled in common, swords drawn. Tai stood confidently at his side, hands on her hips, claymore still in it's sheath.

_"You're a long way from home, elf. I wouldn't try anything if I were you," _she added.

The blood elf loudly, though to Melu's ears it sounded almost rehearsed. "You are the fools here. I shall not back down! _I _will be the one offering _you _the chance to surrender only after you have released the Lady Sunveil into my care, for I am Dirven the Invincible!" the paladin exclaimed in a boisterous voice. While Dirven seemed to understand the pair perfectly well, he continued to speak in Thalassian, deeming common courtesy unnecessary when speaking with the enemy.

_I think he's trying to go for "gallant"... I wouldn't be surprised if he tried serenading me next. Hey, wait a-!_

"You know my name! How-?" Melu's voice died on her lips, not sure which of the thousands of questions to ask first. Though the common sense in her was screaming _'SAVE ME!' _

Dirven graced Melu with his most charming smile (_also a little too practiced,_ she noted offhand,) and replied, "Why by your family crest, Lady Sunveil. Any respectable Sin'dorei would be able to recognize it."

Melu looked down, her chin hitting the choker resting on her collar bone. Hanging from the crimson cloth was an egg shaped amber jewel, the size of her thumb. her family's crest, two phoenix bids and a flower between them. Haphaestus had made it specially for her. At first she was elated and relieved that the humans hadn't taken it, but then she realized. Dirven was saving her because of the necklace. Not because anyone was searching for her. Did they even know she was missing?

Sinking back into her bubble of misery. Melu remained ignorant of the mini-showdown between the humans and her potential savior.

"And now, you die, vile humans!" Dirven let out a triumphant laugh and reach for his sword. Before he could even unsheathe it, the siblings were on him. Tai stunned him with the pommel of her sword as Feng flipped behind him and knocked him out.

_"Leave him be," _Tai whispered as the rogue took a step forward to finish Dirven off. Feng let out a loud, annoyed sigh, tossing his sister a look, but Tai stood her ground.

_ "She's seen too many of her comrades die already. She's not a soldier, Feng. If you make her watch you kill another person, she's going to go into a mental fuckin' lockdown. And I'm gonna leave _you _to explain to the Inquisitor why our last prisoner's too crazy to remember what her own damn name is." _Feng scowled, but glancing back and seeing the thousand yard stare in the elf's eyes, he backed off.

_"And what will _you _say to Lord Grayson__when this guy comes back with friends?" _Feng asked as he jumped onto his horse.

_ "A) They wouldn't attack Stormwind. So we'd be attacked before then and be dead, and I wouldn't have to worry about explaining a thing, B) this guy is such a knight in shining fucking armor, if he does come back, he's coming alone. So don't worry!"_

_ "...Tai, you should really have that brain of yours looked at. I think it's broken."_

_ "Fuck you!" _Tai laughed.

Melu watched sullenly as the unconscious body of Dirven slowly disappeared from sight.

_Disappear... Distraction..._

Melu's eyes shot wide open and her heart was seized by a sudden fit of rage as she screamed, "FUCK MY LIFE!"

Feng and Tai jumped visibly from their saddles by the unexpected scream. Glaring angrily at her, Feng muttered a bewildered string of curses and questions as Tai laughed again.

_"I think she finally realized the chance she just blew."_

_

* * *

_**Sorry for the wait! Please R&R :)**_  
_


	7. Pest Problem

**Heh, everything has gotten weird now, with Cata. Writing about places that aren't there anymore. I should hurry up and finish this story so I can move on to another one that's up to date. :P**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Tai, Feng belong to me.**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Pest Problem**

Tai let out a frustrated sighed. Behind her, Melu's mumbled string of practice words came to a halt as the blood elf and Feng glanced at the young woman. The forest was as dreary as ever, though if Melu had to take a stab at the time, she guessed it was probably almost noon. After breaking camp and setting out, Tai gave Melu her daily set of words and phrases and the trio left one another to their own devices.

_This is the second time in five minutes she's sighed like that. Is something wrong? _Melu looked nervously between the siblings. As far as she knew, the two hadn't been arguing, though she hoped they would so she could _actually _attempt to escape for once. Melu realized then that she had been so engrossed in practicing the words and sentences Tai was teaching her, that if they were fighting, she probably wouldn't have noticed.

Melu's face reddened in embarrassment. She shouldn't get so familiar with her captor, even if one of them treated her a little nicer than the other. Tai was still escorting her straight to the heart of enemy territory, never to see Silvermoon again. Melu's stomach twisted and quivered at the thought. _Never again._

"What's up, Tai?" Feng asked, quietly.

And just like that, Melu's entire body went from home-sick to immensely ecstatic, straightening from her slumped position and a silly grin spreading over her face. _I heard that! I understood! _After a moment of struggling to contain the squeal bubbling in her throat, Melu thought, _Wait, isn't 'what's up?' a greeting? I don't get it... _As she brooded over it, the two humans continued talking.

_ "Nothing, I just... have a bad feeling," _Tai muttered, looking around at the tall trees and the gray mist surrounding them.

Before the words even completely passed her lips, a terrified screech shattered the still quiet. The two humans whirled their horses around frantically, trying to locate the scream.

Melu's eyes widened slightly as she realized, _That was a child... _she knew she shouldn't feel concern. It was obviously an Alliance child, one that would one day undoubtedly grow up to kill many members of the Horde. It was considered backwards and traitorous to even pity any race that weren't allied with the Horde, at least in the eyes of the blood elves. After all, if they weren't with the sin'dorei, then they would inevitably be against them.

So why couldn't she stop her eyes from combing over the area, anxiety chewing at her from the inside out? Despite the constant teachings of her superiors to be as cold as the ice she wielded, Melu couldn't help the growing need to find the distressed child.

_"Which way?" _Tai asked, gripping the reins of her horse tightly.

_"East," _Feng breathed before racing off into the forest, Tai hot on his trail. Melu did her best to hold onto the saddle, still tied to it awkwardly. The horses skirted around tree trunks, leapt over boulders, and scratched their way up a suddenly steep hill side before grinding to a halt.

Tai and Feng were off their horses and running toward something ahead of Melu before she even righted herself from the abrupt stop.

_Wait! I want to help! _Melu thought, tugging on her bindings as she glanced around. Two young human children, huddled behind a night elf who looked like she hadn't quite hit her adult years yet. Their eyes were swollen with tears and their whole frames shook with such terror that Melu doubted the trio saw Feng and Tai coming to their rescue. Not that she was very focused on them either.

Eyes wide, face numb, she felt the world fall away from her as she spotted the creature that had caused the children to scream for help.

A spider.

A _very _big one to be more specific. Apparently the mother of all arthropods decided to grace the woods of Darkshore with her presence that day. Melu could see everything. The legs, the claws, the hair, the eyes, the _mouth. _The mage trembled.

"S-sorry... can't-" Melu stuttered quietly. Though she knew no one planned on asking for her help, she felt the need to excuse her uselessness. _Yeah... they can save the kids. They're not even Horde, anyway. I mean, they're safe. Tai won't let them get hurt, so there's no reason for me to get involved, right?_

Tai let out a ferocious cry she charged at the arachnid. Melu shrunk into herself as the spider hissed at it's assailant. Tai's oversized claymore swung clean through one of the legs and lodged into another. The creature screeched and went into a wild biting frenzy.

_That's a _really _big spider, _Melu thought to herself redundantly, _But this might be a good time to run away. _The blood elf glanced around to find the rogue. He was preoccupied herding the petrified children toward his horse while Tai held off the enraged beast. Shifting her nervous gaze between the ever alert Feng and the rabid arachnid, Melu subtly began to work the knots of the rope. Though, with her sweaty palms and brittle fingernails, the rope was doing a bigger number on her. Her focus on her captors began to drift as she struggled with her bindings more and more, biting back curses.

_Almost... Almost... There! _She nearly cried out with joy as the knot finally slipped free. With one final glance at Feng, Melu dropped the rope behind her and slowly dismounted.

_"Watch out!" _At the sound of Tai's scream, Melu whirled around, ready to fry anyone who got in her way. The rate she moved felt almost lethargic compared to the super sonic speed with which the spider raced toward her in blind rage.

Melu felt the blood drain from her face as numbing panic consumed her nerves like a cancer. Mouth gapping like a fish and eyes wide in horror, the mage's legs gave out from under her. With a piercing shriek, Melu threw her arms up defensively. Seconds passed in complete silence as the young elf waited for her ugly demise. Gathering what meager courage she had left, she willed herself to pry one teary eye open. Mere feet from Melu was the corpse of the spider, frozen solid mid-leap. Getting an eyeful of the frigid beast that was invading her personal space, the mage yelped, crawling backward until she could no longer feel the cold emanating from the body. She curled into herself, screwing her eyes shut again and quivering.

_Get up, Melu. You have to run while the Alliance are still confused. Get up and run! Get. Up. _As if in a trance, Melu shakily rose to her feet. Wiping her clammy hands on her dirty dress, she turned and walked face first into the the chest of Feng. She looked at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. Melu didn't fully realize who was in front of her until Feng grabbed both her wrists and lifted them high above her head, almost lifting her off the ground. The rogue scowled down at Melu then turned to his sister.

_"She got out of the ropes again," _he growled.

Tai looked up from the children whose wounds she had been checking. She laughed. _"Well, at least she didn't burn through it again," _she said with a grin.

Feng grunted in reply as he lead Melu back to the horses. This time, she was put on the rogue's mount while Tai helped the children onto her horse. The siblings lead the small party the rest of the way to Auberdine. Once there, the children scrambled down off the horse and raced toward a group of fretting adults. A pair of sentinels stopped Feng and Tai, one silently sending Melu a disgusted glare.

The mage tried valiantly to ignore all the dirty looks being sent her way as one night elf spoke to Feng, and the other inspected Melu and the horses. However, this situation was much worse than Astranaar. Here, she was alone. She suspected this coastal town saw a lot of prisoner transportation, most of whom probably weren't as quiet about their situation as she was. Which explained why the guards treated her like was the entirety of Silvermoon City's guardians, not just a single mage.

Melu wasn't an idiot. She knew the Alliance wasn't evil. In all her life she had never seen 'true evil' that the war-mongers always spoke of- to scare children, in her opinion. She knew the Alliance treated their people just as well as the Horde treated their own. Her only problem in this scenario was that Melu wasn't Alliance. She was a Horde soldier in Alliance captivity and the two factions had a deep, malevolent relationship with each other that Melu didn't really like to think about.

_I wouldn't even consider myself a soldier, _the mage brooded miserably. _More like cannon-fodder. _Melu's thoughts were brought back to the present as the sentinels cleared Feng and Tai and pointed them toward one of the larger buildings across the bridge. _Is that an inn? Do we have to wait? Is the boat not here yet? _Melu glanced around as they made their way across the bridge. _Am I going to be glared at the _whole _time?_

Feng lifted Melu off the steed and herded her into the inn and up to an old wooden desk where a night elf woman stood, watching her warily. Feng said something quietly an quickly, handing over a few silver coins. With a curt nod and a short reply the night elf waved them off, still eyeing Melu. Grabbing her shoulders, the young man lead the mage up a flight of stairs and through a door on the left.

The room was quaintly decorated, clearly nothing vital or expensive was stored anywhere in the inn, just in case a storm hit the coast and washed the town away. It reminded her of Haphaestus' teacher, who took him in when Grandfather threw him out. Everything in his home he built himself, from the cheapest material he could get his hands on. _"Things are easy to repair or replace when they didn't cost much to begin with anyway. You don't regret the loss!" _he would alway tell her with a laugh.

_Oh, a window, _Melu noticed and immediately shuffled over to the small, ornately carved hole in the wall. "You can see the ocean," she whispered quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Feng lift his head at the sound. Seeing her standing passively at the window, he went back to whatever he was doing. As she watched the water break against the shore, her mind drifted back to the forest spider. _ I wonder who froze it? I guess it must have been one of the children._

_ "Are you completely incapable of carrying your own fucking luggage? What am I? Your maid?" _Melu glanced up at the sound of Tai's irritated voice as the paladin threw open the door and dropped several travel packs to the ground.

Feng smirked and asked, _"Did you ask when the boats would get here?"_

Tai sighed, hands on her hips, clearly unsatisfied with his reply. _"Yeah, they said the ship to Stormwind is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon."_

It was Feng's turn to be fed up. _"Great. You get to watch her now." _Feng motioned nonchalantly toward Melu.

_"I'm _tired! _Why can't you do it?" _Tai whined, stomping her foot sophomorically.

Feng rolled his eyes. _"Because I can only handle one pain in the ass at a time, not both of you. And , since you to seem like such good friends, I figured you wouldn't mind." _He strode to the door, ruffling his sister's hair as he passed. Tai, clearly unpleased, batted his hand away and crossed her arms in a huff.

As Feng left, the mage watched Tai turn to her. Melu didn't move from her perch at the window, instead she chose to pointedly ignore her female captor.

Being within sight of water had always calmed the girl. She remembered how angry Grandfather would always get whenever she snuck down to the beach. While the Sunveil estate rested on the water, the entire thing was fenced in, so that clumsy children like Melu wouldn't fall into the cold sea and drown. Of course, the beach wasn't much safer for her, when a sudden influx of wraiths and mana wyrms forced the sin'dorei to abandon the Golden Strand. Only the Sunveils remained, refusing to leave their home. Melu had only ventured down to the beach alone once, on the pretext of assisting the grounds keeper, Wyllithen with a pest problem. Of course, it all turned out to be a great deal harder than she imagined when said grounds keeper really _did _make her take care of them. The pests being the afore mentioned wraiths and wyrms. By the end of the day, Melu was too tired and shaken up to even enjoy the beach.

Melu stood rooted to the window, watching the shore, listening to the human shuffle around behind her in boredom. While she liked Tai far better than her brother, she was still the mage's enemy, and Melu felt a gnawing shame for acting so familiar with the paladin. _What would Remiel and Haphaestus say, if they saw me like this? _Her chin dipped as she stared morosely at the floor. _They wouldn't say anything. If they had been at the gulch, I never would have been in this situation, because _they're _not idiots._

Several grueling hours passed before Melu spotted the bobbing speck in the distance. _The boat, _she noted, tears welling up in her eyes. All attempts to escape had failed. Melu doubted she would be able to escape during the voyage and knew very well she had no chance once in Stormwind itself. She had never been taught the spell of teleportation. When she was under Dawnwind's tutelage, he had focused entirely on the element of fire with her, since she was a slow learner and required more focus to preform the simplest of spells. She never learned any frost or arcane based spells, with the exception of blink and polymorph, but she was so horrible at them that they hardly counted.

_I could start a fire, once I'm inside the boat. _Melu's eyes drifted to the horizon. She was quite far from the nearest Horde capitol. Swimming there wasn't an option. But if she could salvage a large enough plank from the ruined ship, and floated to shore, she could probably walk to the Zoram Strand. Assuming that no one else survives her little burning spree.

The two women looked up at the sound of the door creaking open. Feng stood there, throwing an irritable glance at the loud door. Turning to his sister, the rogue uncrossed his arms and made a beckoning motion.

_"C'mon, the boat's here."_

Tai rose languidly to her feet and stepped over to Melu. With one last glance out the window, the elf faced her captors, steeling herself for what would be her last chance to escape.

_Let's hope I don't screw this up too._

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**As always, please feel free to R&R!**


	8. Ransack

**Yaay! 'Nother update! Sorry, I know editing shouldn't take me so long, but I'm the world's worst multi-tasker, and my life's kinda swamped right now. But nevertheless! Slowly but surely, I'll begin editing the last two chapters, then post the new one! XD**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Tai, and Feng belong to me.**

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**Chapter Seven: Ransack**

_I can't believe this. This can't be happening to me! _Melu screamed to herself. She hung over the side of the boat, dry-heaving for the umpteenth time that night. Almost immediately after the ship's departure, Melu was seemingly forgotten about as both Tai and Feng argued with the captain about some trivial matter. She was about to just jump ship and pray for the best when her stomach beat her to it.

_I'm seasick? I want to know what I did to make my luck this bad. I mean, I've never even been on a boat before! _In the back of her mind, Melu wasn't quite sure how that justified immunity to motion sickness, but to her exhausted, irrational mind, it made perfect sense. It was her first time at sea, therefore she had the 'get out of puking-your-brains-out free' card. All sailing first-timers got it, clearly. That was obviously why the rogue seemed as cool as a cat lounging in the sun. Rogues didn't like boats, there was nowhere to run. Stupid rogue, this was all his fault. Melu wasn't sure how or why he was too blame, but if he took a step near her, she was definitely aiming for his shoes.

_"What the hell is she doing?" _Feng's voice grumbled behind her. Melu could hardly call up the effort to care as another wave of dry-heaving hit her. Was it really necessary for the boat to move _so _much?

_"I think she's seasick," _Tai piped in, her voice in amused uncertainty.

_"...Seriously?"_

Couldn't they slow the boat down a little?

_"Actually, I heard the Horde don't really use boats, they prefer to travel by zeppelin."_

No, better yet, how about reverse? Back to land would be nice. _Or maybe I could evaporate the whole sea? I like that idea. Can't move the boat if you're nothing but hot air, stupid water! _Melu squeezed her eyes shut against the bobbing sea beneath her. _I definitely heaved my brains out back there... I am clearly insane. _As the crippling wave of nausea began to slowly ebb away, the elf glared at the horizon. _That's it, I have to get off this thing. It will be the death of me long before the Alliance will._

Checking over her shoulder, Melu saw that the siblings had their backs to her. With what littlre strength her arms had left, she lifted herself, hanging further over the side. The sea-worn wood rubbed roughly against her skin and dug into her hips as she continued to inch her way to freedom. She was beginning to feel gravity do her work for her just as a hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of her dress in the back. With a startled gasp, Melu was hauled to her feet and spun to face a very pissed looking Feng.

She groaned miserably as the rogue took her by the arm, half leading half dragging her below deck. Even if the elf had the strength, she doubted she would have fought back. The extreme embarrassment she felt at her unexpected failure to escape made her more introverted than usual.

The mage stumbled into a wall as the ship shifted with the waves. Feng sighed and set the blood elf on her feet again, waiting until she regained her balance before opening a door copiously decorated with locks and bolts. He tugged the door open and peered inside. With a low grumble and not so much as a glance in her direction, Feng nudged Melu inside the dark, damp room and closed the door. The mage stood there puzzled as she listened to the bolts slide home.

_Oh, I guess this is the ship's holding cell or something. _Melu continued to stand rooted to her spot awkwardly though her knees shook with fatigue. _It was silly of me to think I would get a normal room. How stupid. _The elf squealed in surprise as the ship rocked sharply, sending her tumbling to the floor. Hands still bound, she landed weirdly on her side. Her shoulder twisted painfully, screaming in protest and her temple bounced off the rough wooden floor.

She laid in the dark silently, fighting with the queasiness stirring in her stomach. It wasn't until she felt something wet oozing into her hair that she up. Judging by how cold it felt and how foul it smelled, it definitely wasn't blood.

_Wonderful, _Melu thought bitterly, surveying the room. _Well, at least I'm alone._

It wasn't until later that she realized she was wrong.

This was the first boat the elf had ever been on, so it was easy to pick up on certain noises; unlike the sailors who were so used to the creaks and moans of the ship. The first thing she noticed was the almost eerie silence and stillness in her cell compared to the rest of the ship. She imagined her room (if you could call it that) was located in the most isolated section of the vessel. The second thing she noticed was the footsteps. When the footsteps came back again and paused outside the door, the mage couldn't help but watch the doorknob with a hint of fear.

Maybe it was a guard patrolling the hall? Feng or Tai? Or someone else? Melu shrunk into herself. She wished they would go away, or at least be less creepy when they walked.

_Click._

The elf's eyes shot up to the door again. She didn't imagine it, did she? _Whoever's outside... I think they just undid one of the locks. _A cold chill ran up Melu's spine. The logical side of her whispered that this was good. She couldn't escape if the door was still locked, but her instincts screamed with fear at the thought of finding out who was on the other side.

The third time the footsteps came back, Melu was huddled in the darkest corner of the room, watching. She listened with hitched breath as the rest of the bolts and locks on the door were slowly undone. _I should scream. I should call for help. _Eyes still stuck on the door, she tried to force a cry from her lips, but nothing more than a broken whimper escaped.

Melu jumped as the door was shoved open roughly and a red faced sailor staggered in, holding a bottle of alcohol. He stood there a moment, squinting into the darkness before his gaze finally fell on Melu. A slow, wicked grin spread across his face as the sailor shuffled over to her.

_"Th-there she is... stupid bitch... hiding in th-hic! The dark," _he growled, kneeling down with loud _thunk _in front of her. Melu hugged her legs tight to her chest. The sailor scowled. He snatched at her ankle and pulled her into a laying position, pinning her down.

_"I got a fuckin' headache, bitch. Don't make this difficult." _He cursed loudly as he fumbled in the dark. He tried and failed to reach for the hem of her skirt with one hand and take a swig from his bottle at with the other. The little warning bells in her mind suddenly rang loud like gongs as realization hit Melu.

"N-no..." She whimpered, eyes teary as her clammy hands balled into trembling fists. "No!" She cried louder, beating and scratching at the sailor's face. He grunted in furious surprise. "No! No! Nononono-NO! Stop! Someone, please! Help! Help me!" Melu screamed, her voice rising with each syllable.

Pain exploded in her temple, her head nearly snapped backward, as the the human backhanded her. He took her moment of shock to go back to his work of undressing her. Pain and nausea rocked the elf, her whole body quivering.

_Oh, please... not now! _Melu groaned, bile rising in her throat. Mind white with fear, she watched herself lurch forward and empty the contents of her stomach onto the sailor hunched over her legs.

A string of curses erupted from the man's lips as he stumbled away. Melu jumped as suddenly, in a blur of motion, the door was kicked open and the sailor was thrown against the wall. The mage's eyes widened at the sight of Feng, glaring coldly at the other man. His whole body seemed to ripple with barely contained rage as he squeezed tightly on the sailor's throat.

Melu whimpered again and reverted back to the fetus position at the sound of two more people rushing into the room.

The captain and Tai stood dumbly, taking in the sight. A shaken and abused looking girl in the corner and two men ready to tear each other to pieces.

_"Mr. Feng, as captain of this vessel, I will handle any situations that happen here," _The captain said authoritatively, taking a step forward. Feng glared at him over his shoulder, his grip on the sailor never loosening.

_"If I had been even a minute late, who knows what he would have done to the girl. Is that what you call _handling_?" _The captain's eyes narrowed at Feng's words. Melu couldn't understand anything that was being said, but it didn't take much brain power to see that everyone was only getting angrier.

_ "Listen, boy-"_

_ "He's 'ust pissed!" _The drunk slurred, smirking at the rogue. _"He's mad 'cause I 'lmost got t' the bitch before he could." _He glanced at the elf. _"It's obvious she's a fuckin' virg-" _The sailor's words turned into a pained cry as Feng's fist blew full force into the man's teeth. He fell crumpled to the ground, shouting obscenities Melu didn't care to hear as he clutched his mouth.

Slowly, Feng turned to face the captain, who looked ready to hit Feng himself.

_"We're done here," _He said simply. _"The prisoner will be staying in my quarters."_

The young mage nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She didn't look up. She wouldn't. Melu honestly couldn't bear the thought of facing these people after nearly being raped. Never in her life had Melu felt more violated or frightened.

_If they hadn't saved me, would I be dead? Or wishing I was?_

As the pair of hands gently, but forcefully lifted her to her feet, Melu had no choice but to meet Tai's concerned and pitying gaze. When the blood elf was growing up, she remembered when her family members would complain relentlessly about the most trivial things, simply to get attention, but never pity. Pity was something a Sunveil, maybe even any sin'dorei, could never forgive. Yet in that moment, Melu couldn't bring herself to care. She didn't care what Tai or Feng thought, she didn't care whether the captain actually planned on punishing the sailor for his crime, she didn't even care about the sailor. She just wanted to forget. She wanted everyone to forget what even took place in the tiny room and never bring it up again. Maybe if she tried hard enough, it would be like it really didn't happen.

Of course, the more she tried, the more everything kept replaying over and over in her mind, each more vividly than the first. Tai slowly walked the teary-eyed elf out into the hallway, heading toward what was presumably the more accommodating end of the ship. Melu stopped right before the stairs and gave a small, embarrassed groan as a certain memory came flooding back to her.

_I honestly threw up on him... I don't care if it did save me, that's so humiliating! _Melu's face bloomed bright red, mortified by her complete lack of grace and control. _I'm glad Remiel and Haphaestus aren't here to see me._

Tai's uncertain voice broke the mage out of her reservoir of embarrassed thoughts. The paladin pointed to the end of the hall and the girls once again continued their short trek, leaving one hallway for another until stopping in front of a wooden door with far less locks and bolts than the last she had stood before. The human girl gave a slight smile before opening the door and herding Melu inside. The trembling that had managed to die down a little during the walk came back full force as she became super sensitive to the fact that she was alone with a human again.

_Being... attacked... by a drunk man is one thing, but if this woman tries anything I think I really will kill myself. _Her whimpering grew to sobbing as Melu collapsed onto the floor, covering her face with her hands.

Tai was at her side in an instant, one hand on Melu's shoulder, the other gently pulling the mage's hands away from her face. Making soft, comforting noises, she lifted the elf into a nearby chair.

"I want to go home!" Melu cried, her hands rooted to her blotchy face, despite Tai's best efforts. "I want my brother! I want Haphaestus! My grandfather!" Tai knelt down quietly next to the distraught woman, letting her vent in peace. "I never should have left Silvermoon! Look at me! I can't even escape from a pair of humans! I should have continued training! I should have-" The words caught in her throat and Melu glared loathsomely at the ground as she admitted for the second time since she had been captured by Feng and Tai, "I should have been a priest... Then I would never have had to worry about this sort of thing!"

As her tears slowly faded away, Tai continued to wait patiently until Melu felt calm enough to finally notice the state her dress was in. _Ruined! This was a gift from Remiel, too! _As Melu tugged morosely at the stained and torn fabric, Tai rose to her feet and reach for one of the bags resting near the bed. After a moment of rooting through the traveling pack, the young woman produced a simple pair of cloth slacks and a white button up shirt. With a triumphant smile, the paladin hummed to herself as she quickly folded the clothing and presented them to Melu.

_"Sorry I don't have any dresses with me, and I doubt I own any that are as pretty as yours was. I don't have any clean undergarments for you though, you're a lot bigger than me."_

Melu stared curiously at the shirt and pants until Tai pointed from the clothing, to her, to the attached bathroom. Tears pricked her eyes again as she mumbled, "T-thank you." Grabbing the clothes quickly, she escaped into the bathroom to change.

††††

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Feng gave a heavy sigh as he made his way back to the room he was sharing with Tai during the voyage. His 'chat' with the captain had only gotten more and more heated after Tai and the blood elf left. Despite his obvious effort to end the matter and leave with his sister, the captain wasn't done. However, if it was between arguing with him or letting the obviously short-tempered man hunt down Tai and the clearly shaken mage, Feng didn't mind being the man's chew toy. While he hated being around other people, in bad situation like that, the rogue was much better with people than his sister, who loved to fight. She would have started something, just to knock both the captain and the sailor on their asses, and the trio would have been marooned on the nearest rock to die of heat stroke.

As he rounded the corner, Feng's thoughts began to drift toward the captive. _By the Light, it's not enough that she's going to be brutally tortured and sentenced to death... she has to be _raped _too. What could she have possibly done to deserve such a cruel fate? _Feng growled and shook his head. Best not to think about it. It wasn't like letting her go was an option anymore, the ship's next stop was Stormwind itself. The girl was doomed.

He was vaguely surprised upon opening the door to his room, to find Tai and the elf on the bed. The elf's hair was wet and she looked far more fresh and clean than she had since the day he caught her. The red silk pants and white shirt hugged her body tightly and Feng found himself thinking a bit sarcastically, _Tai should have given her some of my clothes, they would have been too big, but at least they wouldn't cut off her circulation._

The two girls looked up at Feng, who suddenly felt as though he was intruding in some sort of girls only club. _I paid for the room, yet I feel like I'm not allowed in here? Typical._

Tai grinned excitedly. "Feng! Feng! Look! She knows Ransack!"

Feng raised a brow curiously as he stepped forward to watch the girls play. Ransack was a card game with simple rules but also required that the player have at least somewhat decent lying skills (he was curious which of the two idiots was winning at the moment). The object of the game was not only to get rid of all the cards in your hand through either sets or sequences first, but also to obtain as many of your opponent's cards as possible before your hand is empty and the game is done. Feng was surprised that the two managed to play Ransack despite the obvious language barrier between them, since conversing with your opponent was the only way to get their card.

The rogue sat on the opposite end of the bed, watching quietly as Tai and the elf played. After checking their cards or placing down a set, the two would look at each other, making hand motions, one would shake her head while trying to keep her face as serious as possible. By the end of game, Feng's curiosity was sated and he decided that neither woman should ever pick up gambling. They had both been very close to losing, and if it wasn't for the elf's slip up in the end, it would have been a tie. Gathering up all the cards and shuffling them, Tai looked at her brother.

"Wanna play?"

Feng scoffed. "No."

"Fine, be that way," Tai pouted. "I'll just play with-" She stopped, her voice dying away as she turned slowly to the elf. Feng crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the bed frame.

"What's gotten into you now?" Tai ignored him completely as she turned to the mage with her usual stupid smile.

Motioning to herself, she said, "Tai."

"Oh, not this again," Feng sighed.

Tai smirked slightly as she motioned to her brother and said slowly, "Feng." He glared at her but said nothing.

The paladin pointed at the quiet captive. "You?"

The siblings watched the blood elf bite her lip, her eyes glued to her hands as she seemed to contemplate something for a minute. After a moment of silence, she tentatively opened her mouth.

"M-May-loo... Sonvayl."

Tai squealed and threw her arms in the air triumphantly. "Melu, huh? That's a cute name! I didn't hear what she said after, though..."

"Sunveil," Feng said quietly. Tai's face fell. They both had heard the name Sunveil before. The Sunveil's were one of the sin'dorei families that were the first to test the powers of the enslaved Naaru, after Lady Liadrin, of course. While the siblings didn't hold any personal grudge against the blood elves for what they did, Feng could think of quite a few draenei who would love to get their hands on the young mage.

_She doesn't even wield the light, yet she'll undoubtedly be damned for it. _Feng frowned at the thought. Melu cast in innocent look between the two humans, unaware of just how infamous the Sunveil family was amongst the Alliance.

Tai grinned playfully, and held up the deck in her hand. "Play again?" Melu smiled shyly giving a small nod. Feng could think of a long list of other things he could be doing instead of watching his sister and the girl he was condemning to death play cards. None of the options interested him enough to get up and move so he simply sat there as the two failed each turn to tell a convincing lie.

_I have a bad feeling about all of this, _Feng thought to himself. _Maybe I'm just being paranoid. _He spared a quick glance at Melu as she examined her cards, biting her lip again. _Besides, it's not like she'll be my problem for much longer. Once I hand her off to the inquisitor, I'll never have to deal with this elf again, she'll just disappear. _ Somehow, the thought didn't comfort him at all.

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**Hope I got rid of most of the grammar mistakes. I had quite a few run-on sentences in the original. Please R&R!**


	9. The Siren and the Wolf

**Two in one night! I'm on a roll! I'm moving on to edit the last chapters, then we can finally get this show on the road! And yeah, I changed Aaron's name to Sorin. I have the nasty habit of changing my characters' names multiple times. So far, this is the only story where I haven't changed the main character's name even once.**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment, Melusina Sunveil, Tai, Feng, Dahlia, Sorin, Connor, and the Harvester all belong to me.  
**

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**Chapter Eight: The Siren and the Wolf**

Screams.

The man had been screaming endlessly for the past two hours. The guards patrolling the brightly lit hall had long since stopped wondering how a torture victim could find the energy to scream so loud and for so long. After all, the prisoners in that wing all belonged to the Harvester. It was almost unnerving, how clean and inviting the hall and each of the cells looked until the Harvester got there.

A pair of passing guards exchanged knowing glances as the screams came to an abrupt halt. Stormwind's favorite inquisitor was done playing. Not long after the screams died, the door to one of the cells opened. A small cloaked figure followed by a draenei and human. As the human traded the little one a pair of gloves for a leather bound book, the draenei crossed his arms, scanning the hallway irritably.

"Lady Harvester, if news from the docks is to be believed, your new guests should be arriving tonight," the draenei explained. The figure perked up at the words, walking serenely toward the flight of stairs at the end of the hall, guards bowing as they passed.

"Oh! How exciting! I can't wait to see what I find. Do make sure there's enough room for everyone, I want them to be comfortable," the Harvester exclaimed in a light, cheery voice. The draenei and human bowed slightly.

"Yes, of course, Lady Harvester," the draenei replied. Turning to the nearest guard, he commanded, "You. Make sure all the unoccupied cells are prepared for the new guests. That includes the cell the Lady just finished with."

The guard saluted and said, "Yes, sir." Bowing once more to the Harvester, he left to complete his task.

The Harvester hummed, a bounce in her step. "I wonder if there will be any interesting ones?"

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Melu hated wearing pants. She stared miserably at the slacks Tai had given her and rubbed the silky material. She didn't like wearing anything where she could see her legs, it always reminded her how big her thighs were. At least when she wore dresses, she could pretend it was the dress that made her look fat.

_Remiel and Haphaestus would always tell me how pretty I looked, no matter what I wore, but they're my family, they have to. _Just as Melu finished the thought she remembered all the times her grandfather would harass her for the way she looked, scar included.

On the darkening horizon, Melu could see the outline of the Alliance capital, Stormwind. _...I can't believe I'm honestly complaining about clothes when I'm about to _die.

For the past hour or so, the siblings had gotten increasingly distant and awkward around Melu. The voyage had been surprisingly pleasant, even with Feng, but now that it was about to come to an end, the two humans apparently remembered their roles in the mage's inevitable demise.

Fear held an icy grip on her as her eyes remained rooted to the city. Whether or not she was able to escape was no longer a question anymore. She was going to die a painful, terrible death and no one in Silvermoon would ever know. The best answer her family could hope to get was, "Missing in action in the warsong gulch. Presumed dead."

_If only I had stayed around long enough for Magister Dawnwind to teach me how to teleport, I would be long gone by now. _In retrospect, there were quite a few things Melu should have stayed to learn and it dawned on her that she was barely above the title novice. _Now that I think about it... why was I deployed to the Ghostlands so early? I know the farstriders are low on soldiers, but it seems odd. If it were really that bad, they would have sent one of the veterans, not someone who isn't even finished training. _She frowned as anger suddenly washed over the fear. How dare they send her when she clearly wasn't ready? Who's bright idea was _that? _If, by some miracle, she escaped, Melu definitely had a few choice words to say to that person.

She watched the men scurry around Stormwind Harbor, preparing for the boat to dock and listened to the captain shout orders from his post. Glancing at the human siblings, she wondered to herself, _Should I say anything to them? I want to... they were so kind to me that night. I didn't expect that an Alliance, let alone two, would have saved me. _Melu frowned again. _But what if they only did it because I'm their last hostage? That makes more sense, I suppose... There's no reason for them to feel anything but hatred for the enemy. _The elf thought back to rumors she heard of the human king, Wrynn, who was said to be most hateful of the Horde. When she first heard it, she immediately disregarded it. Melu preferred taking the "I'll believe it when I see it" approach when it came to rumors about people. _Well, I suppose I'll find out soon enough._ She highly doubted she would actually be allowed within the same vicinity as the king. However, Melu had the feeling that how she would be handled as a prisoner in Stormwind would show a great deal just how both the king and his subjects felt about the Horde.

_"We've docked. Now, get that thing off my ship before it causes anymore trouble." _Melu jumped at the dark grumble emitted from the captain, who now stood at the helm, glaring down at Feng and Tai. Feng simply stared evenly at the man while his sister made a quick gesture with her hands the mage didn't recognize.

Feng turned to Melu stiffly and lead her toward the ramp that was now securely tied to the ship and dock. Her eyes immediately rested on the group of guards lead by a single man who stood right before the ramp, silently watching her. Unlike the guards who were armed to the teeth, the man wore a simple white button-up and brown leather pants. The one unique thing she noticed was the mask that covered his entire lower face. From the nose to the chin, the bronze molded perfectly to the shape of the man's face, small bolts and spikes that decorated the edges gleamed wickedly in the light of the nearby lanterns. The carved mouth was split in an eternal feral grin and large fangs protruded from both the top and bottom lip. As Melu drew nearer, she could see the faint line that traveled up from the chin to the lower lip. _Maybe it opens? _She peered up at the man, his grey eyes slightly hidden behind a mess of red hair. He stared down at her for what seemed like an eternity. Just as she began to squirm in discomfort, he turned, glanced quickly at Feng and Tai, then made a motion at one of the guards.

The guard cleared his throat and spoke to Feng, _"Speak with Warden Thelwater, he'll give you your reward. We will escort the prisoner from here." _Feng and Tai nodded solemnly.

Melu watched her former captors, face red and tears pricking her eyes as the city guards began to surround her. _I want to say goodbye... but I don't remember how! Should I even say goodbye to them? They're the reason I'm here... _Melu looked at each of the faces of the guards and the masked man. After binding her hands and feet so that little more than a small step was feasible, they seemingly forgot her existence. Melu bit back a sob. _I'm so stupid._

††††

††††

Tai sighed in faux irritation as she turned stiffly to her brother.

"Seriously? Walk slower," She demanded with as much sarcasm as she could muster, which was quite a lot. Feng simply glared at his sister, doing nothing to improve his rate of speed.

Ever since the card game on the ship, her brother had grown more and more tense and then he passed the tense meter entirely and went straight into unbearably pissy. Not that Tai was in a much better state. It would take a blind fool not to notice that the siblings had developed an attachment to the prisoner Melu. Tai could tell the second they had caught her that something was off, like she didn't belong. It felt like beating up a child. The blood elf was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now that she was being marched off to her doom, both siblings felt and looked ready to kill the next thing that crossed their path.

Feeling the sudden lack of presence behind her, Tai stopped and peeked over her shoulder to find that Feng had also stopped and was glaring at the canal.

"This pisses me off," He growled, his hands moving from his pockets to his hair, like they weren't sure what to do with themselves. "This isn't right," he added quietly.

Tai sighed as she took a step toward her brother. "Yeah, but..." her voice faded uncertainly. "It's too late now. The inquisitors have her. There isn't anything we can do, right?" Beneath the pale light of the newly risen moon, the two stared down at the cobblestone street despondently.

††††

††††

Sorin Tyrrell was in love. The 18 year old apprentice mage never expected that it would happen quite the way it did. He had always dreamed of first finishing his training as both a mage and enchanter. Finally getting out of his father's stuffy manor, he would find the woman of his dreams while traveling between the great cities of the Alliance. She would be pretty, not plain, but not beautiful, and excel in whatever little hobby amused her. They would settle down near Stormwind so Sorin could continue his enchanting business and have some children. He had dreamt of it plenty of times to know that this was _not _what he was expecting.

Not that he didn't welcome it.

She was an absolute vision. Auburn hair pulled up in a simple ponytail, held up in an ornate golden clasp. The shirt and pants looked too tight, like they had been leant to her, but Sorin didn't mind. He watched her curvaceous body move slowly and surely through the street, despite the lack of shoes on her dainty feet. As his eyes traveled back up, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face, he did a double-take at the long elfen ears that hung despairingly.

_A blood elf... _Sorin took in the guards surrounding her, almost blocking her celestial figure completely from view. _A prisoner. _He swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. That would definitely put a damper on things. He, of course, didn't mind. The young mage overlooked such a trivial problem long before he even truly realized what she was. The only big problem was his family, and Stormwind as a whole. They would have a much harder time accepting the love of his life if she wasn't even a member of the Alliance.

He watched as she was led down into the Stockades and wondered to himself how she had been caught. Before he even finished the thought, his mind already conjured the image of the sin'dorei girl, fighting off a group of bloodthirsty enemies, a smaller blood elf behind her (her little sister, obviously). Despite valiantly holding her own, a sneaky rogue managed to get behind her and grab to child, threatening the infant's life if the elf didn't surrender. She complied immediately, telling the child to run for safety, doing her best to keep a brave face.

Sorin blushed and shook his head as he realized he had been completely enraptured by his daydreaming again. _Dammit, I'm glad no one I know saw me, staring off at nothing like that. _Looking at the empty street, a small spark ignited in him as he thought to himself, _Maybe, if I tell maginor, and we reason with the warden, he'll let the girl go? After all, it's not like she did anything wrong. _Sorin smiled brightly as he turned on his heel toward the magic quarters.

††††

††††

_This... is incredibly anti-climactic, _Melu thought to herself eyeing the room quizzically. As soon as they had entered the stockades, the guards departed, leaving her alone with the masked man. He had grabbed the chain leading to her shackled hands and forced her to walk in the dead center of the tiny Stockade row. Melu soon discovered why as several high-strung prisoners leapt at the bars, clawing at the pair just out of their reach. Melu jumped in alarm the first time it happened, and huddled as close to the masked man as she felt she was allowed.

As they reached the end of the hall to a thick metal door, he produced a simple key from a chain beneath his shirt and slid it in the lock. Quickly, ignoring her bound feet, he had shoved open the heavy door and dragged her down a flight of stairs. Melu hadn't even had time to really process the abrupt change from a dirty dungeon to starch white hall. The masked man had walked briskly to one of the last doors, motioned to it before even reaching it so the guard standing at attention had plenty of time to get it unlocked and wide open. He halted for a split second and glanced inside before nodding and herding the now flustered and out of breath Melu inside.

_I'll never _actually _be escorted to a room like a lady, will I? _She thought to herself irritably. Hearing the door close behind her, the mage turned to find that she was alone in the little white room. Finally with a moment to herself, Melu sat on the bed and looked about the room. It was... quaint. She was vaguely surprised, after the journey she had, that she would be put in such a cute and clean room. The bed was small, but comfy. Across the room was a vanity desk with a simple wooden chair. The desk was bare except for a hair brush and an empty picture frame. Tucked in the corner was a waist high table, Melu guessed it's length was probably near her height. Beneath it was a wooden trunk and waste bin. Everything in the room was white and _too clean._ Melu felt an incredible sense of unease by the lack of dirt or dust. It was like nothing was even allowed to bein the room, much less live in it.

Melu jumped at the sudden motion of the door opening. _So sound isn't allowed in here either? _She felt her eyes narrow suspiciously at the woman who now stood before her. The woman stood in the doorway, a charming smile on her ruby lips. Short, fiery orange hair curled into perfect ringlets. A mischievous glint sparkled in wide brown eyes. A vicious looking scar bloomed over her throat, spider-webbing up to her jaw-line and down to her collar bone. She looked somewhere between 28 and 33 in age, and the scar did nothing to hinder the woman's radiant charm. She was a welcomingly natural presence in an all-too unnatural room.

"Hello."

Startled once again, Melu stared wide-eyed at the woman. She hadn't expected the rough, gravelly voice from such a handsome face. The mage stared at the woman, who gazed back calmly, for a long time.

"H-hello," Melu muttered, happy she remembered at least one word Tai had taught her. The woman perked up, intrigued.

_"You know common?" _she asked. Melu had no idea what words had just tumbled out of the woman's mouth, but she had a good idea of what she was asking. She shook her head and pinched her index finger and thumb together, holding them up. _Only a little._

After a moment, the woman spoke again, "Ah, I understand. Lucky you, I know little thalassian. My name Dahlia Winters. You?"

Melu hesitated. When she had told Tai and Feng her name, they both reacted rather strangely. Knowing her luck, the mage would confess her identity only to find out that her family were the most hated of all the sin'dorei amongst the Alliance. _I doubt it... but I really don't want to find out. _

After a moment of silence, Dahlia tried again. "Connor bring you here?"

The elf quirked her head. _What's a connor? Doesn't she mean con-man? But that doesn't make sense either._

Dahlia made a motion with her hand, covering her lower face and said, "Mask man?" Melu straightened and nodded vigorously. Oh, Connor was his _name._

"We walked slow as turtles all through the city and Stockades, but once we got down here, it was like he couldn't get rid of me sooner. I almost fell flat on my face twice."

The red headed woman stood silently, soaking in her words, before glancing off at a distant nothing, a gentle smile on her face.

"Connor a good boy."

Melu raised an eyebrow at Dahlia. _If you say so._

"Ms. Winters, why are you here?"

At her name, she looked down at the elf and smiled wider. "Harvester busy. In meeting. Stormwind rule..." she paused as she searched for the right words, "All new prisoners questioned by us on first arrival."

_By 'us' she must mean the inquisitors. But what does she mean by harvester?_

"Harvester?" Dahlia's smile twitched slightly, but what emotion she was fighting to keep off her face, Melu couldn't tell.

"Nickname. I called Siren because," Dahlia motioned to the giant scar on her neck. "Sometimes name make sense... Sometimes don't." She shrugged.

"If you're my inquisitor, why aren't you torturing me and asking me questions about the Horde?" So far this inquisition had failed to meet her expectations. Not that she was going to complain, but a part of her worried for what they really had in store if not torture.

Dahlia smiled again. "No, I not... inquisitor, yes?" Melu nodded. "Harvester is. You belong to her. She ask questions. I supposed to ask for her, since she not here, but she say no, I not allowed."

Melu ventured, "Is she your boss?"

The woman scoffed. "No, she just scary."

The young Sunveil felt her heart shiver at the inquisitor's nonchalant confession. _Oh great._

"So... you're not going to question me? Torture me?" She really didn't want to press the issue, but at the same time, she wanted to know what to expect.

Dahlia shook her head. "No! Just staying here. Make it look like I ask you questions. But..." Her voice trailed off as she moved from her spot in front of the door to the chair, flipping it around to face Melu. The charming smile never leaving her face. "We talk if you want?"

"About what?"

Dahlia made a clueless face and shrugged again. "What you want! I can't ask questions, so you just talk."

Melu took a deep breath. Oh boy, where to begin.

* * *

**Please R&R :)**


	10. The Deal

**Finally! the last chapter edited! Now I just need to finish up the newest chapter, and I should post that today too. :)**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Tai, Feng, Yan-Yu, Dahlia, Sorin, Connor, Harvester, Solarian (good lord, am I missing anyone?) all belong to me.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Deal.**

"Looks like the blood's startin' to ease up."

The paladin didn't bother raise his head or give any sign of acknowledging the goblin's words. He simply hung there, his arms bolted to the rock wall of the cave, sweat and blood dripping down his face. The dark cave did nothing to ward off the stifling humidity of Stranglethorn Vale. Narrowing his beady eyes, the goblin gestured to a nearby ogre, who lethargically reached over for the paladin's head.

"I'm still alive." The low growl stopped the ogre's hand in it's tracks.

The goblin crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmmph, well, remember our deal, Solarian. You die, I get all your belongings, not just here, but your estate in Silvermoon as well."

Solarian spat the blood from his mouth before muttering, "Yes, but remember, you're obligated to at least _try _and keep me alive."

The goblin shrugged and continued, "So as I said, the bleedin's startin' to stop. We're passed the halfway point. You said there would be one more item you would require later on. What is it?"

Solarian raised his eyes from the dirt floor of the cave to look down at the contractor. "Something... something to dim my eyes. I'm going into Alliance territory. I need them to think I'm human."

The goblin quirked an eyebrow at the elf. "That's why you cut the tips of your ears off? And what about this?" He motioned to the iron bands trapping the blood knight's arms to the rock.

Solarian gave a wry smile. "To get used to the withdrawals. When I'm hidden amongst the Alliance fools, I won't be able to siphon magic whenever I please and I won't be able to meditate as often as I do without drawing some attention. Addictions can be... dangerous." He flexed his hand idly.

The goblin was silent for a long time. "Alright... Not to put a damper on your 'master plan' or anything, but I know the Alliance have plenty of high elves. If you needed me to makes something to dim your eyes anyway, why not just disguise yourself as a high elf?"

Solarian didn't answer. The goblin watched as his face twisted from confusion, to realization, then to indignant rage. Suddenly, the elf's foot shot out, kicking the contractor full force, straight out of the small cave. The ogre body guard snored away peacefully, undisturbed as Solarian grumbled to himself darkly. Some people just didn't appreciate _dedication_.

††††

††††

"Tai, hunny, what's the matter? Both you and your brother have been in such a slump since you got home yesterday."

The young paladin lifted her head from the table, meeting the concerned eyes of her mother, Yan-Yu. The older woman was where both Tai and Feng got a great deal of their looks, with hair darker than the panthers of Stranglethorn, pulled up into a neat bun and rich brown eyes always seemed to sparkle with mischief. Yan-Yu stepped closer to the table and reached over to brush a strand of hair from Tai's face. The young woman glanced down at the sensation of something cold and wet brushing against her thigh and found her mother's wolf, Shing as he rested his head on her lap, looking up at her with round golden eyes.

It took Tai several moments to find the words, which made her feel odd. She had never been one to be at a loss for words, but this situation with Melu was getting more and more... something. She still wasn't entirely sure what was going on. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was a proud member of the Alliance and Melu was Horde. Therefore this growing concern she had for Melu's safety couldn't be shed in the best light no matter how she tried to spin it.

"It's just... The elf we brought back with us. The prisoner... Melu."

Yan-yu perked up with interest, then gave her daughter a small smile and a knowing look. "I assume Melu is her name?" Tai nodded. "And can I also assume that you asked yourself?" After a brief hesitation, Tai nodded again. "I see... Well, since I'm on an assumption spree, would I also be correct in guessing, that since you asked her name, you also asked her other things, were as friendly to her as you are with any normal person and as a result, have grown attached to her?"

Tai frowned. "Just tell me my life story, why don't ya."

Yan-Yu chuckled. "I'm your mother, I _could _if you wanted me to," she offered teasingly. The young paladin made a face which the hunter promptly returned before continuing, "So, what exactly has _you _bummed out about all of this? Your brother- while I have a good idea what it is- I'll get to him later."

Tai thought about it. She remembered watching the blood elf make her way across the Warsong Gulch by nothing less than luck alone. She remembered the way the other blood elf looked at Melu in the beginning, with such high regard, Tai wouldn't have been surprised if he had thrown himself in the line of fire to protect her, and then the utter disgust and disappointment when she failed to meet whatever expectations he had of her. She remembered all of her failed attempts to escape and all the chances that flew right by her, because she simply didn't see them. As a thousand other images floated through her head, Tai finally muttered, "I don't think she should have even been in the Gulch. She's too new. I'd be surprised if she even finished her training."

Yan-Yu tried her best not to give her daughter a look as she said, "_You_ haven't finished your training."

Tai lifted her head and glared at her mother. She knew her mother was only teasing her, but her temper was beginning to flare. "_I'm _prepared. _I _have battle experience."

The hunter sat down at the table and raised her hands in surrender. "Ok, ok. So you think she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Yan-Yu's brows furrowed as she said, "I know it may seem like she's been unjustly imprisoned, but don't forget, Tai, she's still Horde, while she doesn't deserve what's happening to her, now that Stormwind's inquisitors have her, they aren't just going to let her go."

Tai felt her gut wrench at her mother's words. So she should just give up? That didn't seem right. She was a paladin, a warrior of light and the very image of justice. If she couldn't make her people see how wrong this was, then who could? _The king won't listen to anything I have to say, so long as 'mercy' and 'Horde' are in the same sentence. I'm going to need help. Someone much bigger than me._

"Someone with influence..." Tai muttered. Yan-Yu watched her daughter silently, then sighed, seeing the determined look on her face.

"If your father were here, he'd definitely be able to help," the hunter murmured, staring off at nothing with a small wistful smile on her face.

Tai didn't respond. There was nothing appropriate she could really think of to say, since she knew very well that her late father hated the Horde, the Forsaken most of all. She thanked the Light that Feng hadn't been there when their mother decided to take a short trip down memory lane and mention the man. Feng and their father fought almost constantly when he was still alive. Tai remembered when she and her brother were very young, and there had been no fighting, everyone was happy. The day Feng hit puberty everything changed, he constantly argued and rebelled, when their father told him he was to be a paladin, just like all the other eldest children in father's family, Feng simply laughed. The next day he came home and announced he had gone to Old Town to find Lord Tony Romano. He was going to be a rogue. That was the last act of defiance Feng had been able to commit against his father before the paladin was sent to Outland and was killed by Mother Shahraz in the Black Temple.

"So, who should I go to?" Tai asked. While deep down she had severe doubts her plea would be heard by anyone, the thought of not trying at all didn't sit well with her.

Yan-Yu pondered a moment before answering, "Well, why don't you go to the cathedral and ask one of your superiors? Benedictus or Neheri would be the most willing to help, right?"

Tai cursed loudly and quickly received a playful slap on the hand by her mother. Why hadn't she thought of that? Of course that would be the best place to start! Though, if they turned her down, she wasn't really sure where to go to next.

"Thanks Mom! I'm gonna go right now!" The young woman exclaimed excitedly, leaping up from the table. Her mother turned in her seat, barely able to follow Tai's sudden burst of energy.

"Oh, ok! Hey, if you see your brother, tell him I want to talk to him! Or you talk to him! Either way! I don't want him to spend all day moping!" Yan-Yu's voice followed the young paladin onto the cobblestone sidewalk of the park where they lived.

"Ok! I will!" Tai called back over her shoulder. She had a feeling she would be running into him very soon.

Flying through the streets and across the bridges, she didn't realize she was in Cathedral Square until she almost passed the very person she was looking for. Tai exclaimed joyfully, making a beeline for Bishop Neheri who stood casually at the steps of the church, speaking animatedly to a high elf man. Tai's excitement dropped exponentially as she spotted the elf. Each of the elven races held a deep prejudice and utter dislike for one another. If she couldn't somehow talk to Neheri about Melu in private, she had the growing suspicion the high elf would convince the Bishop to disregard Tai's plea. The young woman felt the growing need to stop dead in her tracks and make a hasty retreat. Maybe she could pester Feng to break Melu out of jail? It couldn't be _that _hard... right? But Tai's feet refused to move any direction but forward and as Neheri and the elf looked up at her in bemusement she knew it was now or never. A girl like Melu wouldn't last much longer in the Stockades.

"Yes?" Neheri ventured, uncertainty coating his eyes as Tai froze in front of the two men. How to begin? She glanced nervously at the elf who caught her look, raising a single brow in reply.

"Well, you see..."

††††

††††

Feng leaned against a stone pillar, dark eyes watching as guards went in and out of the Stockades. Apparently there had been some sort of riot in the front part of the prison where most of the prisoners were held, and now they were all running amok. Was that the wing Melu was in? Had she already escaped? Or was she in a more isolated ward, where the interrogated Horde were held? Feng wasn't familiar with the layout of the Stockades. He preferred to avoid the place as much as possible, due largely to the fair number of the prisoners he and his sister put there.

He originally intended to just walk through Stormwind, maybe toward Old Town, and clear his head. Feng had too many confusing thoughts and no real answers and it was beginning to frustrate him. Instead, he ended up here, the root of his inner turmoil, and stood watching as the guards and a single young mage ran around like flustered chickens trying to keep the prisoners at bay.

An elderly man came out from his shop for a third time to remind Feng not to loiter and for a third time Feng ignored him.

"Feng!" The rogue jumped visibly at the unnecessarily loud greeting that rose from his sister's lungs like a war cry. He glanced over his shoulder slightly, turning just enough to shoot an annoyed glare at his sibling with a single eye.

Tai tried her best to ignore him. Among her biggest pet peeves, was when people couldn't be bothered to turn around fully to look a person in the face. She held back the snarky comment, knowing he was simply pissed at himself for being caught unaware and that it was neither the time nor the place to fight with him over a mere annoyance.

"What are you doing here, Tai?" After saying that he suddenly noticed the tall, pale man behind her. "And who's this?"

Feng watched his sister's face suddenly light up in excitement. "Feng! Feng! Feng! It's so great! I went down to talk to Bishop Neheri about the elf Melu-"

"What?"

"-And asked him if there was anyway to set her free-"

"Wait. _What?"_

"-And he said that there have been a few times when Horde prisoners become turn-coats! They're trained to be spies for the Alliance!-"

"Tai."

"-And he said that it's very probable that they would release Melu if she agrees to become a spy!"

"Tai. _Stop. _Enough!" Feng grabbed his sister by the arms, silencing her as she stared at him, fidgeting nervously. Feng plowed on before she got on another ranting spree. "Are you serious? You're going to turn her into a spy for the Alliance? You're going to turn her against her family? Her people? You don't even know if she's going to agree to that! For all you know she'd rather die at the Inquisitor's hands!"

"I know that!" Tai snapped, her voice rising over the everyday bustle of the city causing several passerby's to stop and glance at the quarreling siblings. The elf with them simply stood, waiting patiently as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "I know that..." she continued. "But still... I have to at least ask her. I can't just sit back and let them kill an innocent girl. I can't live with that." Tai shoved her fists in her now teary eyes, lowering her red face and standing tensely. She took slow, forceful breaths, attempting to regain her self-control.

Feng watched her silently a moment, glanced at the elf who promptly ignored him, then sighed. "Alright, sorry. You're right." Feng rested his hand on her head ruffling her short black hair. "Just... don't get your hopes up, ok?"

"I know," she mumbled, her eyes rooted to the cobblestone.

Without a word, Feng turned around to face the entrance to the Stockades and took a confident step forward. Well, he did his best to appear confident. In truth, Feng didn't expect any positive results from Tai's botched plan. They were about to go marching into the Stockades and put Melu between a rock and a hard place. Meanwhile, that Neheri guy would waltz into Stormwind Keep and give the King probably the most half-assed "Mother-may-I" speech known to man.

Feng knew this was a bad plan and he knew there would be repercussions for demanding the release of a Horde prisoner. So why did he keep going? Because it seemed so important to Tai? Feng knew that was a part of it, but deep inside he knew he had to get the elf out. She was an innocent girl. The rogue didn't know anything about her, but he knew she didn't deserve to die in a cold and dark prison cell. There was a chance she would refuse Tai's offer, or the King would refuse to grant it, but Feng wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least give Melu the choice.

_Who knows? Maybe she'll make a break for it when our guard's down. Maybe she'll escape this time. _Feng waited next to his sister as the high elf spoke to the warden in a hushed tone. He tried to imagine the clumsy elf girl navigating her way out of both the Stockades and Stormwind City without alerting any guards. He snorted. _Yeah right._

His train of thought shattered when the high elf turned to face the siblings and muttered, "We have permission to enter the Stockades. Inquisitor Winters will arrive shortly to escort us."

Feng glanced around the barren room that stood above the prison below. At the thick wooden doors barely 7 feet away from him, half a dozen guards fought to keep the rioting prisoners at bay. The mage Feng spotted earlier was sitting in a corner eating while a priest bandaged his arm. He was very aware of the mage's eyes on his back ever since they entered the Stockade's entrance and Feng was getting irritated. Were his eyelids broken or was staring at people the new form of "hello"?

"Ah! Maginor Thelrien! Good morning!" Feng turned at the sound of a hoarse voice and did his best to hide his surprise when his eyes rested on a woman with a serene smile and a scar on her neck. His surprise doubled- and this time he couldn't hide it- when he noticed the masked man standing next to her. The same one that took Melu from them at the docks. The woman's eyes drifted to Feng and his sister. "Hello, I'm Inquisitor Dahlia Winters, but you may simply call me Winters. This is Connor, one of the Harvester's trusted men." Winters glanced between the obviously uncomfortable Feng and the impassive Connor. "You've met before?" After a brief pause, she exclaimed, "Ah yes! Connor escorted the elf, so you three would have ran into each other."

The trio in question gave the woman quizzical glances.

"How'd you know?" Tai asked.

"I'll tell you in a little while," Winters responded with another smile.

"But why're you here?" Feng asked. This whole situation was getting more and more complicated by the minute, there was no way this guy _wasn't _going to make everything worse.

Connor shrugged nonchalantly. Winters quickly stepped in.

"The elf Melu is one of the Harvester's subjects, if you intend to speak with her then either Connor, Zakhar or the Harvester herself must be present. The Harvester is allowing you to visit Melu when she has every right to turn you away. If you really need to speak with the elf that bad then you can put up with Connor. All that aside, let's get going, shall we?" Without waiting for a response, Connor turned and began making his way down the small flight of stairs, toward the brawling guards and prisoners, Winters right on his heel. The siblings shot worried glances at one another before chasing after older two. They watched in awe as the fighting men and women in front of them broke apart violently. They stopped. They stared. Then they quickly shuffled to one side or the other, making way for Connor and Winters.

"What the fuck?" Tai muttered, tensing up. What was with everyone? Why did they act so weird around an inquisitor and one of their henchmen?

"Dunno..." Feng put his hand to Tai's shoulder, giving her a soft nudge. "Stay close." They followed Winters quickly and quietly down another flight of stairs in into a hall Feng almost couldn't believe was a part of the Stockades. It was so... _clean_.

Connor stopped, standing silently in front of a door that looked exactly like all the others, a large and heavy looking ring of keys in his hand. He didn't move to unlock the door however, instead he stared evenly at Winters who made a small noise of realization.

"There are wards in this room to prevent the casting of magic by anyone other than the Harvester, so don't panic when you step in. But that aside, any attempts to aid, harm or rile the prisoner will not be tolerated and be dealt with swiftly. Understand?"

Feng nodded slowly as Tai murmured an uncertain, "Y-yeah." Thelrien, who had been standing behind the group silently, continued to be as unmoving as the creepy life-like statue he apparently turned himself into. Feng was beginning to question whether he was alive or whether he was actually just a giant pissed off doll some bored gnome built in his spare time.

Connor skimmed lightly through the ring of keys. Picking one out, he slowly unlocked and opened the door. Feng frowned, watching as Connor and Winters slid quietly into the room. The young man had the growing feeling he didn't want to see Melu. He didn't want to know what the Harvester had done to her. On the other hand, he had already decided he couldn't just leave her there, especially now that he saw the Harvester's row. Something about the starch white hall was incredibly unsettling. With a deep breath he followed his sister and Thelrien into the room.

The first thing he noticed besides the freakishly large table in the corner of the room was the severe lack of a Melu. The place was empty. Tai looked up at him with eyes growing dark and Feng bit back a frustrated growl. He knew that Tai was ready to go berserk if Melu didn't show up in the next ten seconds.

Seeing their faces, Winters threw the siblings a genial smile. "Don't worry, she's here."

††††

††††

Jeremiah Colt's large hands balled into fists as he felt his blood boil. He had watched earlier as that masked mutt Connor and the coy bitch Winters lead two no-name brats and the maginor Thelrien down to the Harvester's wing. After asking a few of his fellow guards, he found out that the two dark haired siblings were the ones to escort the newest prisoner to Stormwind. He knew instantly that they were going to see the elf. Why exactly, he wasn't sure. All Jeremiah knew was that the little Horde whore wasn't dead yet.

_Why are so many damn people interested in that elf? _Jeremiah wondered in bewilderment, glancing darkly at the young mage behind him. Earlier that day, they had been as chummy as long lost friends. The mage confided that he was there to help quell the riots. The warden had apparently made a deal to consider releasing his girlfriend if he helped.

Jeremiah had felt a little on the fence at first upon hearing Sorin's story, but then decided that maybe there was a misunderstanding between his girlfriend and the law. After all, Sorin didn't seem like a bad kid, or the type to fall for bad girls, so Jeremiah offered to put in a good word for him and the girl to the Warden. Well, until Sorin mistakenly, in his excitement, let out a little too much information, like how the girl was a _blood elf. _Jeremiah had never felt so enraged in his life. If that little dress-wearing fire-starter thought he could trick a city guard, he had another thing coming. Jeremiah grumbled angrily thinking back at all of it. The kid was lucky he got away with only a few broken teeth.

Many people he knew thought Jeremiah was a bit extreme when it came to his hate for the Horde. But after being forced to watch a forsaken raiding party burn his farm down with his wife and child inside, Jeremiah felt entitled to his hate, and saw everyone else as too forgiving.

The guard thought idly to himself as he wrapped a small wound on his hand. _The elf sure has Sorin wrapped around her little finger... But what about that brother and sister? And Thelrien and Winters? Winters avoids Harvester's prisoners like the plague, but word has it that this is the second time she's seeing that one elf. Is it magic? Has the elf tricked them all? What if the elf _does _manage to get free? _Jeremiah's face fell and his heart thudded in his chest as the thought suddenly hit him. _What if she's aiming for the King? What if she intended to get caught to use her magic on him? _He scowled darkly, tightening the bandages painfully. _No, I'll kill her first. _It would be simple. Jeremiah's eyes traveled around the spacious room. The riot wouldn't be solved by tonight, or the next day. He would have plenty of time to put his plan into motion. He could even bribe some of the rioting prisoners to help him. A single elf against any number of prisoners and guards. Jeremiah gave a feral grin. She would never know what hit her.

††††

††††

"If she's here, then where is she?" Tai demanded. In a barren 12x12 room, there really wasn't anywhere for the elf to hide.

"Hiding, of course." Winters shrugged.

Slowly, Tai's eyes drifted toward the bed. It was the only thing in the room big enough to hide a full grown woman, unless of course, Melu somehow got her hands on some sort of camouflage paint and pasted herself to the ceiling. The paladin kneeled down beside the bed, lifting the untucked blankets. Glowing green eyes squinted at the sudden light. Tai watched Melu's hands ball into quivering, defensive fists.

"Melu?" She said loud and clear. For reason's Tai didn't care to think about, the mage looked like a cornered animal. With no light shining on her face, Tai didn't want Melu to mistake her for someone else and lash out.

The figure beneath the bed froze. She reached out slowly, then suddenly snatched her hand back. Tai watched her repeat the motion several times as her mind debated uncertainly. The paladin jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of Winters crouching down beside her.

She cooed a short greeting to Melu before speaking in thalassian, "_Your friends here. Want to talk. Good girl come out?" _Tai watched in mild surprise as Melu glared hatefully at Winters.

_"You... The Harvester... the things she did..." _her voice cracked. Winters' face receded into a solemn mask.

_"I know."_

_ "You could have at least warned me."_

_ "I know. I am sorry."_

There was a moment of silence before Melu tentatively reached out toward Tai. The paladin couldn't help the giant grin on her face as she helped the elf slide out from under neath the bed. Melu tensed at the sight of Connor, inching closer to her female companion. With how frightened she looked, Tai wouldn't have been surprised if the blood elf scrambled beneath the bed again.

"So," Winters began. "How exactly to you intend to converse with Melusina? As I recall, Feng and Tai, neither of you two can speak thalassian."

As her brother glared suspiciously at the inquisitor, Tai wondered in bewilderment, _How does she know all these things? Did Melu tell her? But why would an inquisitor ask about trivial things like that?_

A motion caught Tai's eye as Thelrien stepped forward. "It seems _everyone _in this room has forgotten I am here as well. Lovely," the high elf muttered, his voice coated in weary sarcasm.

Tai scoffed. It wasn't that difficult to not notice a person who simply stood there silently. Feng and Tai's eyes stayed rooted to Melu, watching her expression as Thelrien began speaking to her. After a what felt like an eternity, the blood elf suddenly burst out, interrupting Thelrien. The older mage gave her a hard look, whispering to her quietly. Melu nodded vigorously, her voice frantic when she replied. The room was silent for a moment before Thelrien stood and faced Winters grimly.

"She has agreed to the deal and she asks that we bring it to King Wrynn's attention as soon as possible."

Feng's eyebrows raised and Tai took a mental step back. She hadn't expected Melu to agree so quickly. "Seriously?" Tai asked.

Thelrien turned his gaze on her. "Yes, though in all honesty, I don't believe she has thought the consequences through. She simply wants to escape from the Harvester."

Tai's stomach twisted guiltily as she remembered that she was the reason Melu was in the hands of the Harvester in the first place. The guilt ate away until it was all she could do to speak out. "Well, alright! We have Melu's answer, now let's go see the King!"

It was Thelrien's turn to scoff as he said nonchalantly, "Convincing a young sin'dorei girl who has never stepped out of her city is easy enough. But now you wish to get approval from King Wrynn too? Considering His Majesty's extreme dislike for the Horde, this is very unlikely."

Tai growled. "We won't know until we try!" She hated how childish it sounded, but she couldn't think of anything better to get her point across. "Besides, Bishop Neheri should already be there! With any luck, Melu will be free tonight!"

Thelrien shook his head and the others in the room suddenly found themselves silently watching a verbal fight to the death between Tai and the high elf.

"Tonight? My my, you truly are daft. Neheri has more than likely been put on a waiting list amongst countless others requesting audience with the King. It will take him days just to see him. A deal like this requires _paperwork, _I realize that's a difficult concept for you-"

"Oh, fuck you," Tai spat.

"Maginor Thelrien! Ms. Tai! Please!" Winters scolded, hands on her hips. The more the older woman spoke, the less Tai believed she was an inquisitor. Waiting patiently as they fell silent, Winters shifted her gaze from one person to the next. "Now, with all due respect, I'm afraid it's time for you to go. Melusina's session with the Harvester will be beginning soon."

Tai's face twisted into a grimace. How could she make _torture _sound like a visit with the doctor? There was something severely wrong with that. As Connor unlocked the door, Tai spared one last apologetic glance toward Melu. It might be the last time she saw the elf.

††††

††††

Panic and confusion tore through Melu as Tai and Feng slowly made for the door. Her whole body trembled and her legs threatened to give out but she forced herself forward, latching a shaky hand onto Tai's sleeve. The paladin looked at her with large bewildered eyes.

"W-where are you going? Am... am I going too?" They weren't going to leave her there alone, right?

The high elf spoke. "We are going to the king to propose the offer to him, we must receive his permission before releasing you from this prison. I've already explained this to you."

Rage bloomed in her chest and her nails dug into Tai's arms. "What? Seriously, you-" her voice choked up. "You told me I could be free when you haven't even talked to your fucking king yet? You got my hopes up... for nothing!" Melu felt as if she were watching the entire scene unravel from afar as her hand suddenly lashed out blindly. Even as Connor intercepted, catching her hand and forcing her back toward the bed, she didn't stop thrashing. Did they lie? Were they leaving her here to die? Tai and Feng wouldn't do that... would they?

Melu cried out as Winters quickly herded Tai, Feng and the high elf out of the room. With a swift sweep of one long leg, Connor sent her falling. She laid there, a fetal heap on the floor. Fear and betrayal making her limbs jittery and her mind jumbled, Melu watched helplessly as Connor quickly backed out of the room, eyes warily on her. The door closed and locked just as silently as it always did, the only proof of sound in the room was the elf's own heavy breathing.

"_'You are the last heir to the Sunveil family, so you had better shape up and prepare for your studies as a priestess,' Balderius had said to her on the girl's 11th birthday."_

They really left her there.

"_A low moan and a muttered curse in thalassian caught Melu's attention. Looking around furtively, she saw the bloody body of the warlock a few feet away."_

Was it all just a game?

_ " 'Try again: Black.'_

_ " 'Blaaaahhhk.'_

_ " 'Good!' Tai cheered."_

She was going to die.

_"The mage's eyes widened at the sight of Feng, glaring coldly at the other man. His whole body seemed to ripple with barely contained rage as he squeezed tightly on the sailor's throat."_

With a feral snarl Melu leapt at the door, beating and clawing at it furiously. Tears blinded her eyes.

"Don't you fucking leave me here! Come back! Let me out!" Her voice rose to a desperate screech as nothing but silence answered her pleas. "Don't leave me here with that girl! You promised! You fucking promised! Don't leave me!"

Melu curled into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't even realize how much time passed, crying in front of the door, until it suddenly opened.

"Tai-" The Sunveil felt her throat close up as her eyes landed on the petite figure standing before her.

The little one reached up, pulling back her hood, revealing the sweet, serene face of a young night elf girl. Melu's eyes widened and she backed away toward the bed.

This was it.

The night elf smiled pleasantly, humming to herself as Connor and the draenei Zakhar followed her into the room. "Now, now, silly little Sunveil. I am not Tai!" She giggled.

This was the 'true evil' the soldiers spoke of. The evil they all claimed to know so well.

"I am the Harvester! Neesha Shadoweye!"

Melu screamed.

* * *

**I wasn't sure about the little flashback snippits toward the end. I wasn't sure whether or not I'm supposed to use quotations to signify the flashback or if italics alone would've been fine.**

**As always, please R&R!  
**


	11. Last Day

**Yaaay! Finally! Brand new chapter! Thanks for being patient with me while I edited the all the chapters. Hopefully, everything's a little better now.**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Tai, Feng, Yan-Yu, Thelrien, Winters, Connor, the Harvester belong to me.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Last Day.  
**

It was early morning when the Harvester found Melusina on the floor, looking up at her mockingly in a pool of her own blood. She had taken it in stride, greeting the mage with her usual cherub-like smile and a warm "Good morning." Zakhar set his cloak down over the blood as the Harvester knelt down to examine the dying woman. Shadoweye didn't like getting her clothes dirty.

"Silly little Sunveil! Did you think your problems would be solved this way?" The Harvester murmured, sickly yellow light flowing from her hands to Melu's mutilated wrists. The night elf's large eyes traveled idly to her prisoner's slender fingers. "Trying to chew off your own hands... that's a new one." She let out a disappointed sigh in a sudden whoosh of air. "You have such pretty fingernails, I would be sad if I couldn't play with them anymore." She glared at Melu. "Don't do this again."

Melu sobbed. She had been so close. "Y-Yes, Harvester."

The light slowly diminished and the inquisitor leaned away from the older elf. With soft, almost tender hands, Shadoweye wiped away Melu's tears, brushing back loose strands of hair. The Harvester's hand halted abruptly, sliding to cup the mage's chin and lift her face so their eyes met.

The smile was back. "I understand. You're tired of playing with your nails!" She said it as if it really were a game Melu had simply grown bored of. "What should we do next?" A pause for consideration, then she gasped in delight. "I know!" The little hand brushed lightly over Melu's face, tracing her scar. "How about I play with your eyes next?"

††††

††††

Melu woke screaming. She was brought back to reality when her frantic thrashing landed the young woman on the cold floor. She leapt up immediately, scanning the room, expecting to see the small, white-haired demon.

_It was only a dream._ Only a dream. Though no matter how much she tried to convince herself, she couldn't calm the fear that ate away inside of her. Again, Melu glanced around the room. Had it really been just a dream? Or was it a memory of yesterday? She couldn't tell anymore. The blood elf lifted up a single, shaking wrist for inspection. That tiny scar, just below her hand. Had it always been there? ...Yes, yes, of course. She remembered clearly getting it as a child at the festival in Silvermoon. The festival. As a child.

Wait, what festival?

Melu couldn't remember.

How long ago?

She didn't know.

If it was when she was young, wouldn't it have faded by now? Instead, the more the young woman stared at it, the fresher it looked. The scar seemed to practically bleed before her very eyes.

_Where is Tai and Feng? Haphaestus? Remiel! Where is my brother, I want to go home! _She sobbed, her throat raw and her eyes puffy from the continuous crying since first meeting the Harvester. A small part of her then decided that the incident with her wrists really was a dream. She wouldn't have done that. She wasn't ready to die yet, no matter what that crazy little daughter of a lich did to her.

Melu sat down on her bed, suddenly feeling calmer. Her mind drifted toward the Harvester again and some of the things she had said since the blood elf first arrived. Shadoweye spoke very passionately about her "flowers" which she plucked from each of her so-called guests in the Row. The child preferred to call the place her Garden, but Melu felt the guards' nickname for the inquisitor's personal prison was much more fitting and less creepy. The Harvester would tell her how she gathered all the pretty flowers for "big brother Wrynn" while they were in season. She explained that it was the reason why the Harvester allowed the mage to keep her flower. Melu's still hadn't bloomed apparently. The little kal'dorei had seemed so dismal when she told the Sunveil that, like she had just been told Melu was a free puppy looking for a home, but Shadoweye couldn't have her.

At first, the mage had thought it was safe to assume her "flower" was simply a twisted metaphor for vital Horde information. However, by the end of the Harvester's explanation, she felt as though she were back at square one. Then again, if it wasn't about any secrets she might have, what else could it be?

Melu was scared most of all by the Harvester's strange way of thinking. It wasn't that hard to believe that the information her inquisitor obtained _was _for the good of Stormwind and the Alliance, but that wasn't what terrified the young woman. It was that Shadoweye actually believed, in her twisted little mind, despite everything she did to her prisoners, it was all just a game. She tortured them with as much joy as the average child playing with their friend. Spent idle time with them. Kept them company, then when their "flowers" were ready to be given to the King, she took them and killed the prisoners, having no further use for them.

Her thoughts suddenly took an abrupt turn as an image of Feng flitted through her mind. She frowned. Melu still hadn't forgiven them for telling her they had the opportunity to rescue her from the Row but didn't take it. Traveling all the way down to her tiny cell just to mock her.

She thought Feng and Tai were better than that.

_Then again, _the rational part of her argued, _They're Alliance. Not only that, they were the ones that brought me here, they have no obligations of setting me free. _Melu glanced around the melancholy room. _Well, thinking back, that high elf didn't say that they could release me right then and there. I can't really remember, but didn't he say something about petitioning the King? I don't know about here, but in Silvermoon such things take quite a while... I don't think I'll last long enough for that. _Melu slumped and she sighed, heart heavy with defeat.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here? St-stop!" Melu almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden noise. She looked around the room before realizing it had came from the hallway outside. She thought her cell was noise proof, but it turned out the guards outside were just _really_ quiet. Until now. From the sounds of it, the was a group of people fighting the guards. Was it the prisoners from the Stockades? Had the riot not ended yet? Melu listened closer. The sound of metal hitting metal rang soundly beyond the door. The attackers were wearing armor. It couldn't be prisoners then. Melu backed up to the furthest corner of her room, watching the door as death wails rose. The fight was ending.

Angry voices faded away. _Are they leaving? _She wondered. _What did they come here for?_

A loud crash, the sound of bodies colliding with a door. Melu cried out in surprise, slapping a cold, clammy hand to her mouth. She watched her door as there was another booming crash followed by terrified begging, then a scream. As the sounds slowly moved closer, Melu searched the room frantically. The wards. Her only hope now was to find the magic canceling wards the Harvester had set up in her cell. If she could find and destroy at least one of them, then she could at least defend herself against whoever was out there.

_Come on Melu, you can do it. Just concentrate! _Her door shook with impact as orders and insults were thrown outside. She quivered. _Just have to get it in time! Concentrate!_

††††

††††

Tai followed her brother down the street toward the Stockade, a bounce in her step. Somehow the whole world seemed brighter. It had been four days since they saw Melu. Both the high elf and Inquisitor Winters left to speak with King Wrynn alongside Neheri. The first good sign was that the King hadn't automatically dismissed them. Discussions for prisoner release were like walking on thin ice, it was a very sensitive topic. Despite that, the trio handled it like natural negotiators and were ordered to return three days later after His Majesty had time to think on the matter.

Now it was the third day, and the siblings had received permission to retrieve Melu from the Stockades and keep her at their home until further notice. The high elf (Who's name Tai learned was Thelrien Windwreath) and Neheri had returned to Stormwind Keep to hear King Wrynn's final say while Winters waited for Feng and Tai at the Stockades.

"If you don't stop humming, I'm going to kill you," Feng grumbled. Tai rolled her eyes.

"I don't know if anyone ever told ya, but the whole, tall, dark and brooding thing _doesn't _actually do it for the girls. Sorry to break it to ya." She giggled as he lightly cuffed her over the head. She nudged him back playfully. They walked into the Stockades in time to see Winters chest-to-chest with a guard a good head and shoulders taller than her. The mage from days ago hovered nearby trying his best to negotiate a truce between the two. However, the guard stubbornly stood his ground and Winters looked ready to murder him.

"What the hell do you _mean _they doubled back to the Row? Are you all completely fucking _incompetent? _Where's the warden?_" _The inquisitor hollered loud enough for the whole room to hear.

The siblings glanced at each other, then back at the enraged woman. "Ms. Winters, what happened? Is something wrong?" Tai asked uncertainly.

The older woman and the two men looked over at the new arrivals. Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief as the guard and the mage tensed up visibly.

"Thank the Light! You two came just in time." She turned on her heel, heading down the stairs and straight into the Stockades. Feng and Tai followed hastily as Winters explained the situation. "Apparently at some point during the night, some of the prisoners decided to venture into the Harvester's Row to free more inmates and steal weapons from the guards." The inquisitor frowned. "Not only that, but some of the guards from yesterday that had been helping with the riot are missing. This whole thing seems incredibly suspicious to me. We have to get to Melusina quickly!"

A blur of motion caught Tai's eye. She glanced up in time to see the masked man about to disappear down the stairs to the Row. "Hey!" she called. Connor looked up, mild surprise in his eyes. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the group as they caught up to him.

"So you heard?" Winters asked. He nodded.

"Then why're we standing around? Let's go!" Feng growled. Connor complied immediately, turning to the door behind him and practically ripping it off it's hinges. Tai and Feng slipped passed him, leaping down the stairs and barreling down the hall to Melu's cell.

"Five... six... seven- here! This one, Feng!" Tai said, skidding to a halt in front of the slightly ajar door. She shivered. As Connor and Winters caught up to them, Feng shoved open the door without hesitation.

Tai felt her stomach twist then leap up into her throat as her eyes landed on the scene in front of her.

Ice.

Everywhere she looked ice crawled across the floor like moss. Frost layered the beds covers like dust and her breath hung inches from her face in a puffing cloud of hot meeting cold. Six men stood in a cramped circle, frozen mid-motion. Living statues. She could sense Winters scanning the room behind her.

_What the hell happened here?_

"Hmmph," the older woman scoffed. "Well, now we know where the missing guards went."

Tai and Feng glanced over at her in confusion then back at the frozen victims. As she looked at them closer, the young paladin realized that some of them wore the armor of Stormwind city guards. Her eyes widened as a puff of air rose in a whoosh from the midst of the statues like the steam from a tug-boat. Tai nudged her brother, pointing toward the center of the icy circle. He nodded.

"Melu?" she called, taking a step forward.

Feng shadowed her, glaring at the frozen men suspiciously as if they were about to spin around, weapons ready and shout, "Just kidding!" Tai inched again.

"Is it you? Melu? We came to pick you up, just like we said we would..." her voice trailed away as a shuffling noise was heard behind the ice. Anxiousness and impatience gave a burst of speed to her feet and she surged forward. Slipping on the ice-coated floor she to grabbed onto one of the nearby petrified soldiers which wobbled with impact. Tai righted herself and peeked over the frozen shoulders she leaned on.

Melu sat on the floor, huddled in a tight ball with arms wrapped around her legs and her face dipped down into her knees. Her hair cascaded over trembling shoulders. A heavy sadness wrapped itself around Tai's heart as she watched the elf. Feng stepped up next to his sister, Connor and Winters remaining near the doorway. As silence weighted down the room, Tai's ears picked up a soft noise emanating from the mage.

_"It's not them. They're not really here. I must be dreaming. They wouldn't come for me. I'm dreaming, I'm surrounded by human popsicles for Sunwell's sake. I'm just dreaming."_

"Melu," Feng said, his voice clear. The tips of her long ears perked up at the sound of his voice, snapped out of her quiet, repetitive babbling. Melu lifted her head. At first, she didn't look up completely. She revealed her tear-streaked face slowly, eyes riveted straight ahead as if stuck. The far away look she wore faded as the elf was pulled from reverie. Green eyes met brown and for a moment, the two girls simply stared at each other. Tai waited for Melu to speak and Melu waited for the dream to end.

After a moment, a small, happy smile perked up on Melu's lips, her eyes glistening with tears as she said, _"You're really here!"_

Tai grinned and she felt her brother breath a sigh of relief beside her. "We came! Jus' like we promised! Now, let's get you out of here, 'kay?" Feng reached down between the frozen men to offer Melu help standing. The Sunveil reached with her small, pale hand, which the rogue gripped firmly and lifted her steadily to her feet. He helped her maneuver out of the circle of ice statues.

"Good, she's safe. Can you three get back to your house on your own?" Winters asked, reminding the trio of both her presence and Connor's. Feng scoffed irritably.

"We aren't kids. I should _hope _we can walk all the way to the park. Why?"

Winters smiled cheerfully, walking further into the room, the masked man right behind her. Feng lead the two girls silently to the door, giving the inquisitor and Connor more room to inspect the frozen rioters. When it seemed clear she didn't intend to answer him, Feng turned toward the door.

"They'll need time to thaw."

The rogue looked back at Winters, one brow quirked up quizzically. Connor appeared infinitely interested- even mildly concerned- with something in the top corner of the room, near the doorway. Tai opened her mouth to speak when the rusty haired woman smiled again and elaborated.

"Well, we need to get answers, so we will try to thaw these boys out and get what we can from them. I'll find you later if I feel what we've found is something you need to be informed about."

The way the two stood over the statues sent a chill down the rogue's spine. The practiced smile on Winters lips and cold, distant look in Connor's eyes told Feng he didn't want to be around when these guys thawed.

He quickly ushered his sister and the elf out of the room and down the hall. Melu stared at the hall in wonder. She was so caught up in being outside of her cell she didn't see the discarded spear on the floor and promptly tripped over it. She landed on her stomach with a surprised squeal.

"If we weren't in a tense and dire situation right now, I'd make a comment about how _hilarious _and _adorable _that was," Tai chuckled, looking down at the poor girl. Feng rolled his eyes, and helped Melu up again.

"You just did," he said.

"Whatever!" Tai hummed.

As he watched her shakily regain her balance, Feng decided to just forgo the elf's clumsiness. Hooking one arm around her shoulders and the other under her legs, he swooped Melu off her feet, ignoring her surprised cry and Tai's snickered comments.

"All right, let's bring her home."

††††

††††

Dahlia Winters looked over at Connor. Ever since he first spotted the broken ward, he hadn't taken his eyes or his thoughts away from it. She glanced up at the corner. A magic canceling ward, set up by the Harvester, and specially designed by her too. Unless you were familiar with the little night elf's work, it was impossible to detect or to identify it's use until you were already trapped by it. Melusina shouldn't have been able to locate the ward, even after being put into the cell.

"Do you really think she broke it herself?" the older woman asked as warm golden light flowed from her hands to the frozen guard before her. Connor nodded.

Winters lips twisted into a grim line. She knew what that meant. If the Harvester found out it was Melu who broke her ward- and she _would _find out eventually- she would want Melu for her twisted little games even more. Now, the biggest threat the Sunveil faced wasn't King Wrynn or even the Alliance as a whole, it was the Harvester.

††††

††††

What a cruel twist of fate.

For days Sorin worked like a dog at the warden's beck and call; put his neck on the line fighting rioting inmates, all so he could rush in and save the girl of his dreams like a knight in shining armor.

And what _actually _happened?

Feng Liredan beat him to it.

The first time he and his sister came to the Stockades, a bad feeling sank over Sorin. He didn't like the older man and though he would never admit it, a small part of him was jealous. Feng was a skilled rogue, well-respected by those he surrounded himself with, and his looks certainly didn't hurt his reputation with the girls. Not that Feng ever put any effort into being well-liked; no, of course not. that would get in the way of his cool and reserved facade. He didn't have an obnoxious level of popularity, like some sort of story-book hero, but just enough to piss Sorin off.

_He was carrying her in his _arms! _Come on! _Sorin fumed silently, having disregarded any duties to the riot, he sat on a bench, face in his hands. _This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out. _Slowly, he stood and exited the Stockades. _So what now?_

††††

††††

"Moooom! Mom, you here?" Tai called as she barged into the peaceful home. Well, it _was _peaceful, until a large crash was heard somewhere beyond the kitchen, followed by a child's wail and their mother's concerned voice.

Feng set the elf mage down as Tai ventured toward the source of the noise. "Everything alright, Mom?" Feng asked loudly. Clearly one of his younger siblings did something stupid again, and created the kind of huge disaster only a little kid could. Any other day he and Tai would have helped their mother out immediately, but neither of the young adults wanted to stray too far from the newly freed prisoner. Sure, Feng had felt obligated to save Melu from the Stockades, but that didn't mean he was at ease with the idea of a blood elf being in his house, so close to his family.

"Yeah, I'm in here, Honey! Arianna and Dominic were fighting." Feng could tell by the use of their full names and the tone in her voice that Yan-Yu addressed that last sentence more to the two culprits than to him or Tai.

"Can you come into the kitchen, please? It's important."

At the sound of Yan-Yu walking down the hall toward them, Feng glanced at Melu. The utter confusion she clearly felt wasn't enough to mask the nervousness and, for whatever reason, embarrassment written on her face.

The older woman drifted into the brightly lit room, shadowed by her old wolf companion. Then, like little ducklings, Yan-Yu's youngest children followed after her. The small girl of the trio with her hands wrapped around the wolf's tail in a death-grip as she eyed Tai and her mother nervously. When the foursome's eyes landed on Melu, complete havoc ensued. Shing let loose a feral snarl, charging forward intimidatingly. The little girl, caught completely unawares, was pulled forward forcefully, landing awkwardly on her arms in an attempt to catch herself. The oldest of the trio, tried to herd his brother and sister behind him, his voice rising with fear and agitation. The youngest simply stared at Melu, charmed by the elf's long ears and completely oblivious to everyone around him. As Tai's loud voice joined the chaos, trying to calm the children, Yan-Yu suddenly erupted.

"Enough!"

Feng felt Melu jump at the woman's tone and shuffle behind him slightly, which made Shing growl more. With a sigh, the rogue quickly knelt down and ran a hand over the wolf, trying to calm the beast. He looked up at his mother who was now glaring between each of her children, silencing the noise.

She did a once-over of the elf, her brows knit together in irritation. She glanced down at Feng.

"Is this Melu?"

_I see Tai's been talkin' again. _He nodded. Yan-Yu looked back up at Melu, staring silently. Suddenly, the woman whirled around and flicked Tai's forehead.

"Ow! Mom what was that for?" Tai demanded angrily. Their mother made a quick gesture toward Shing who promptly nipped Feng's nose scoldingly.

"Ah! Son of a fuck!" the rogue cursed. His mother sent him a warning glare.

"Are you trying to scare your brothers and sister? I don't know what exactly is going on here, but I highlydoubt you have a good reason not to forewarn us that there's a blood elf in our kitchen!" Yan-Yu ranted. She took a deep, calming breath, then added. "I assume she's relatively harmless? I mean, I know you two wouldn't bring her anywhere near here if she were capable of hurting the kids, but what about you two? Will she try to escape?"

Before either Tai or Feng could respond, there was a light knock on the door.

"What now?" the young paladin growled before stepping forward.

"Sorry to intrude," came the smooth voice of Thelrien as the door was opened. He glanced at Melu. "I've been sent here by King Wrynn to update mr. Feng and ms. Tai on the situation with the blood elf, Melusina Sunveil."

Yan-Yu crossed her arms over her chest. "So you even roped a member of the _Kirin Tor _into this, but couldn't spare a moment to tell me about it all?" Thelrien turned to her, giving the woman a scrutinizing look.

"Do you live here?"

Feng looked anywhere but his mother or the high elf. He knew she would be glaring darkly at the new comer. Yan-Yu disliked straightforward questions like that, despite her own blunt personality. But what she hated even more was this stranger standing in her home, asking questions, when he hadn't even introduced himself yet.

"Yes, I'm their mother. What's the meaning of all this?" The young trio shifted from hiding behind their mother to hiding behind their sister as they detected the irritation in Yan-Yu's voice.

The high elf bowed stiffly. "I am Maginor Thelrien and as I previously stated, I've been sent here by the orders of King Wrynn. Since you are a victim of circumstance in this, I would ask that you also listen to what I have to say, Ms. Liredan." He paused, considering his words. "It has been decided that the blood elf traitor, Melusina Sunveil, has no vital information to provide for the Alliance. Due to her quiet capture in the Warsong Gulch and the recent tragedy of her family, it is believed her long absence will go unnoticed." Feng watched his mother as realization dawned on her face. "King Wrynn has come to the conclusion that the traitor will be used as a spy against the Horde, and will be trained thusly during her stay here. During that time, he has ordered that she remain here, in your home."

"Might I ask why she's staying in _my _house?" Yan-Yu asked. Feng glanced at Melu, not surprised when he saw the panicky and confused look she wore. The elf struck him as a girl who couldn't handle a negative atmosphere very well.

"The King, Inquisitor Winters, Bishop Neheri and myself agreed that despite being the ones to capture her, Melusina Sunveil is more familiar with your children, Tai and Feng, and will most likely be more compliant with them. It would be best for now if she's under their care. " The huntress huffed, clearly displeased with this sudden turn of events, but remained silent. "I will visit daily to teach her the common language and help her continue on her path as a mage." There was a stretch of silence as Yan-Yu thought hard, rubbing Shing's head idly. Thelrien backed toward the door, clearly ready to be anywhere but there. After a while, the high elf said, "If necessary, the traitor can be relocated, however if that is to happen, know that your children Tai and Feng will still be expected to guard her."

Feng's hands clenched and he suddenly couldn't find a comfortable position to stand in the increasingly cramped room. It seemed most logical that Yan-Yu would forcibly decline housing Melu. No mother would allow a member of the Horde to stay under the same roof as her children. As the thought seeped into his brain, Feng wondered where the mage would be put instead, and if he would have to worry about more blood-thirsty guards or thugs in the new mystery location. Concerned, he glanced at Melu. She leaned against the counter top behind her and her shoulders were slumped, all the energy suddenly gone from her body. She stared at the wall across the room with a far off expression. Feng supposed he shouldn't feel surprised, she couldn't understand the conversation and had no choice but to wait for everyone to settle their matters. Not only that, but anyone would need to take a step back to process through everything that just happened to them. Although he knew that, seeing Melu look so broken twisted his stomach into knocks.

"She's staying."

Everyone in the room looked at the woman in bewilderment. Her arms still crossed, Yan-Yu turned to give Melu an even stare. "Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I trust her or approve of the situation you've forced me into. But I'll be damned if I let you toss her in the basement of some rich creep trying to get in the King's good graces in all the wrong ways. You might as well put her back in the Stockades. My children will keep an eye on her _here."_

Thelrien bowed his head in acknowledgment. "Very well. As a final note, Tai, Feng, for the next week you have been ordered to guard Melusina Sunveil 24-7, this includes the bathroom and while she's sleeping. King Wrynn has ordered her immediate execution should any anomalies be detected in her behavior." He turned swiftly on his heel and opened the door. "Goodbye," he said and was gone.

"What an ass!" Tai growled as soon as Thelrien left, stomping over to the entrance and giving the door a good swift kick.

"Enough, Tai, don't shoot the messenger," Yan-Yu reprimanded. "And don't swear in front of your brothers and sister." The young paladin grumbled but backed off.

"I'm kinda surprised you said yes, Mom," Tai said, sitting down on the floor with a heavy sigh, releasing the last of her anger. The little trio and Shing joined her in a circle, the wolf in the middle, basking in the children's attention.

"I just didn't like it," she replied. "The way he kept saying _traitor. _Like she chose this of her own free will- well, she _did, _but it was either that or a slow, painful death by an inquisitor. And the inquisitor would have gotten vital information from her, so either way, she would be betraying her people. I hate how easily that fact is forgotten." She shook her head, then look sadly at the door. "I thought most high elves were above blanket accusations."

"So where will she sleep?" Feng asked, steering the conversation to a more imminently important subject. Between her late husband and parents, Yan-Yu had been gifted with the money to afford a decent sized house for her and her children, but the unexpected addition was going to require a little relocating for everyone.

The huntress pointed at her eldest son. "Are you going back to your apartment or staying here?"

"Well, that guy said we have to watch her 24-7, right? So I figure I should prob'ly stay here."

Yan-Yu nodded. "Ok, I moved you old bed into the spare room. The kids have had so many friends over recent I just turned it into a guest room. I kept your room the same just in case you ever came back to visit we could just move your bed back, but now..." her voice drifted off as she realized she was rambling. "Feng, you go move your bed back to your room. Tai and I will grab your father and I's old bed from storage and move it into the guest room."

"Wait, why don't we just move the big bed to Feng's room instead of moving two bed all around the house?" Tai whined.

"Because that bed will only fit through the guest room's doorway, Feng's door is too narrow. Now let's get this started, I still have to get supper ready."

"Yeah! Supper!" The smallest of the little trio cried at the mention of food.

"Yeah!" the small girl chimed, throwing her arms in the air. Yan-Yu simply chuckled, shaking her head as everyone went about their jobs.

††††

††††

_Damn, I forgot what a pain in the ass my door frame was. _For whatever reason, when the house had been built, Feng's door was incredibly narrow. It was wide enough for the average person to walk through comfortably, though if one weren't paying attention they could very easily bang a limb off the frame. Moving furniture in and out of the room, however, was out of the question. Soon he realized he wasn't going to fit the bed through, no matter what angle he tried. The young rogue resigned himself to dismantling the entire thing and moving it piece by piece.

_If I knew I was going to have to do that, I would've taken the big bed, _he thought to himself as he exited the room, stretching his stiff neck. His mother was in the kitchen cooking, the little kids, Benjamin, Arianna, and Dominic playing in the garden. Tai had disappeared right after moving the larger bed. He wasn't all that concerned about his sister, but where was Melu? Feng peeked into the guest room, empty. The kitchen? Not there either. Adrenaline hit him like a wave as a sudden loud thud erupted from the bathroom. _Is she trying to escape? Did she hurt herself? Or was it Tai? What happened? _Questions barraged his mind as he kicked open the bathroom door.

††††

††††

After Feng and Tai disappeared with the woman, Melu was left alone with the children and the wolf. She wasn't entirely sure which made her more uncomfortable, the eldest child's suspicious glares or the wolf's constant growling. Being the baby of her family, Melu had absolutely no idea how to interact with small children whatsoever and there were no wolves in Eversong woods. So the poor blood elf found herself faced with two obstacles she had never encountered before.

_I'm a little surprised that woman left me here with her children, _Melu thought to herself. But then again, she also left the elf there with her giant, angry hound of death and dismemberment, so maybe the woman didn't feel the need for concern. The kids quickly grew bored and raced each other out of the kitchen, presumably outside to play, leaving Melu alone with the canine who sat watching her warily.

"Melu!" The mage looked up to see Tai and she felt a small smile tugged on her lips. The paladin grinned back at her, then seemed to notice Shing. _"Ok, first thing's first. C'mere, puppy-face!" _the young woman cooed. The wolf snorted in reply and remained rooted to his spot, eyes on Melu. Tai planted her feet on either side of Shing and picked up his front paws in her hands. Then, in the most awkward shuffle Melu ever saw, began to move toward her until she and the dog were mere inches from the blood elf. _"Shing, this is Melu. Say hello." _At her words, the black wolf freed himself from her hands and set his paws down on Melu's lap. Since Shing's ears reached Feng's hips, the hunter companion had no trouble getting in the poor blood elf's face as she sat on the floor. He sniffed her face, her hair, her ears, ignoring her distressed mewling.

_"Ok! Now..." _Tai reached forward and grabbed Melu's hands. She held the elf's pale fingers in front of Shing, letting him smell the unfamiliar appendages, then rested them in the wolf's fur. At first, Melu didn't move. She simply stared at her hands, too scared to look the beast in the eye. He was a _really _big dog. Slowly, she flexed her fingers, rubbing the fur on his neck. A low rumbling sound emitted from the wolf's throat. _"Good boy!" _Tai whispered, then took Melu's hands again. _"C'mon, let's go!"_

Melu looked up at Tai, unsure of what exactly she wanted, but allowed the paladin to drag her out of the kitchen and down the hallway. The raven haired woman stopped abruptly and spun Melu around suddenly to face a quaint, sunlit room. _"That's where you're sleeping! And this is the bathroom." _Whipped around once again, Melu found herself facing a room she couldn't quite figure out. _"Since you haven't had a bath since prob'ly that time on the boat, I figured you might want a bath."_

The mage watched as Tai turned the knob in what looked like a bath tub. _But this can't be a bathroom, everything's too small. _A little voice in the back of her mind mocked her that for once in her life something was too tiny instead of too big. Melu cocked her head to the side quizzically as Tai closed the bathroom door, then turned to face the elf, hands on her hips.

_"Sorry, Melu, but King's orders. You're under 24 hour surveillance or whatever. So I'm staying here while you bathe. Clothes off, missy." _Melu gave her a confused look.

She couldn't understand the words, but she heard the no-nonsense in Tai's tone. _Am I doing something wrong? I don't get what she wants. _Melu let loose a small yip of surprise as the paladin grabbed the front of the mage's dirtied shirt.

"Hold on, wait! What are you doing?" she squealed, backing up until she hit the door, accidently knocking over a basket of soaps. Tai pulled her back, giving her a frustrated yet apologetic look.

_"Oh jeeze, what's the problem? We're both girls! Just get in already!" _She said, pointing to the tub now half-full of water. Melu made a face.

"I don't know what you're saying, but this is not a bathroom, that is not a tub, it's too small and I want out now!" The two girls jumped at the sound of the door crashing open. Feng stood there, confusion and alarm on his face as his eyes settled on Melu, then drifted downward. She followed his line of sight to her chest. Tai had completely unbuttoned the mage's blouse and had managed to pulled it down to her elbows right before Feng busted in. Melu's face burst red. She screwed her eyes shut and screamed at the top of her lungs, "GET OUT!"

††††

††††

Feng had never retreated from a room so fast in his life. Backing out until he hit the wall then kicking the door closed with his foot, the young man slid down to the floor with a heavy sigh. Off-handedly, he thanked the Light her eyes were closed, and and neither she nor Tai noticed the small blush that managed to creep along his face. He rubbed his forehead, trying to chase away the image of the half-naked elf girl from his mind.

"I'm starting to think this might have been a bad idea."

* * *

**Started off rather morbid, I know. But hopefully I made up for it with the somewhat comical ending. :D**

**Please R&R!  
**


	12. The Friendship Algorithm

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng Liredan, Tai and all other OC's belong to me.  
**

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**Chapter 11: The Friendship Algorithm**

It was a quiet, peaceful afternoon on the Sunveil estate. Champion Balderius had only just begun his daily perusing of one of the many old books in his personal library when the heavy wooden doors were thrown open.

"DAMN IT, BALDY!" Haphaestus roared, storming into the room. The young blood elf threw an irritated glare at the guards as they immediately intercepted him. Without even breaking stride, the red haired man tossed one light-weight guard to the ground behind him and shoved the other aside. He turned to glare full-force at his grandfather. "Where in the great Nether is she?"

Balderius slowly moved his hand from the tome to his teacup, lifting delicate china to his lips. He set the cup down.

"Where is whom, exactly? Explain yourself, boy. You would also do well not to raise your voice in my home." Haphaestus didn't believe that violence solved everything, but he was seriously contemplating simply killing Balderius and ridding the world of the cold, stuffy old elf. The smithy often wondered too himself whether his grandfather was just so corrupt that he even lacked compassion for his own flesh and blood, or if he was simply senile. The younger Sunveil decided in the end that it was both.

"You know _exactly _who and what I'm talking about, don't you play dumb with me, old man! I'm talking about Melu! It's been eighteen days since the battle for Warsong Gulch ended! She should have returned by now. Even that freak Solarian is back. And left! You haven't even bothered to ask about her status, have you?" Haphaestus' anger rose to breaking point as Balderius simply sat there, drinking his tea. "Have you forgotten that she's your last, precious, 'loyal' child? Send out a damn search party! At least find out her last whereabouts, or I swear I'll-"

"You will _what?" _the paladin growled, finally looking the younger sin'dorei in the eye. Haphaestus fell silent, snarling in barely contained hatred and rage, laced with fear. Balderius' eyes returned to his book as he gingerly turned to the next page. "Melusina's betrayal has already been brought to light to me. That child is a failure. Her well-being is no longer any of my concern."

Haphaestus' stared at his grandfather in bewilderment. Betrayal? Failure? What was he talking about? Even if Melu had done something to anger Baldy, the old elf had always been far more forgiving with her than he had with Haphaestus or Remiel. Was he seriously just going to turn his back on his last grandchild? Toss aside the last hope for his legacy?

Turning to another page, Balderius said, "Now, remove yourself from my home. You wore out your welcome the day you were born."

The young blacksmith snapped. "Bastard!" He yelled and leapt for the older Sunveil.

††††

††††

Something needed to happen soon, or Melu feared she would die from boredom. Which was quite a feat, considering as a child she had always been tasked with keeping herself entertained. However, all the books in the room were written in languages she couldn't read. She also had absolutely no interest in playing with the old looking stuffed animals that obviously belonged to the children who hated her.

Melu's shoulders slumped morosely at the thought of the three children. It was her first time interacting with anyone younger than her (excluding the spider fiasco) and it was far from her dream scenario. She had no idea how to deal with children and frankly, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to, but the mage couldn't stand the thought of continuously terrorizing them every time they laid their eyes on her either.

The blood elf's eyes shot up to the door as it creaked open. _Guess I'll save that train of thought for another time, _she thought to herself as Maginor Thelrien entered the room. He had books tucked under one arm and a glass of water in his hand.

"Good morning, Lady Sunveil, as I have informed the Liredan family, I am here to instruct you in all of your studies. Please, sit at the table," Thelrien greeted, motioning toward the small oak table. There wasn't enough for both of the elves to sit comfortably along with all the books he brought. Melu wondered if maybe she should offer to go find a larger surface to spread everything out on first, but she quickly learned Thelrien was not a patient man. "Sometime before either of us whither and die might be nice, Lady Sunveil."

Melu scrambled up from the bed and sat in the chair attentively. Thelrien nodded and began setting books down on the table, but didn't take seat himself. The mage bit her lip nervously before stuttering, "M-Maginor, if... if it's not too much trouble. Could you call me Melusina? Lady S-Sunveil isn't my title."

The maginor rose a single brow at this bit of news. "Oh? I had heard a great misfortune had hit the Sunveil family, but that there had been at least four survivors. Is this information wrong?"

Melu shook her head. "No, you're right. But..." her eyes lowered to her hands, clenching the cloth material of her skirt. "But when Grandfather finds out about my failure, he will most likely abandon me, like he did to my brother and cousin." _Honestly, I'm surprised he kept me around as long as he did. Probably because I was all he had._

Thelrien was silent for a long moment before saying, "Alright, Melusina. First I shall explain what exactly the Alliance intends to do with you."

††††

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"That damned, pointy-eared dick!" Tai fumed, slamming various dishes and utensils on the kitchen counter as she prepared Melu's breakfast.

"Tai," Yan-Yu said warningly and she served her smallest children their portions of egg and bacon.

"I know, I know." She turned to the trio. "Don't swear! It gives you cancer!" The oldest boy, Benji, scowled disbelievingly as the youngest, Dom stared blankly. Arianna simply ignored everyone and scarfed down her food like it was a race.

Her mother sighed. "What did Maginor Thelrien do to upset you this time?"

Tai fumed. "He totally ruined my plans! I was gonna take Melu to the trade district and buy her new clothes!"

"Are you crazy?" The two women turned to Feng as he entered the kitchen and sat himself down at the table. Yan-Yu promptly served him breakfast which he thanked her for then turned to glare at his sister. "Melu _just _got here, news of her release hasn't even hit the streets yet and you wanna take her _shopping?_ Tell me you're joking."

"Ok, fine. You don't have to be an ass about it," Tai growled, crossing her arms over her chest. Yan-Yu threw another warning over her shoulder which the paladin ignored as if it were the wind. "I still wanna get her some clothes!" she decided stubbornly. "She deserves something nice after everything she's gone through and her one and only dress was ruined on the boat ride over here."

Yan-Yu looked up from cleaning Dom's face. "On the boat ride? What happened?"

Tai and Feng glanced away from their mother nervously. "Ah, just an accident." Tai muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Alright," Yan-Yu didn't push the subject. "Here, take the leftovers to Melu before they go cold."

"And good luck with that shopping thing," Feng scoffed. His sister was terrible at buying things for other people. Tai glared at her brother's back until a sudden cheshire grin split across her face.

Leaning down until she was next to his ear, she chuckled, "You know that means _you're _guarding her, right?"

"...Dammit."

††††

††††

"Now that we have that out of the way," Thelrien held the glass of water at eye level, offering it to his captive student. "Freeze this water solid, Melusina."

Melu glanced at him nervously. They had tried for a few hours to summon a compact fireball with any sort of power behind it, but each time she failed. The elf was beginning to wonder how she managed against Feng that time in the forest. Finally, Thelrien asked Melu to recount her magical studies in Silvermoon.

Halfway through her vague and questionable report, the maginor narrowed his eyes. He asked that she list off every spell she cast from the time she left Silvermoon up to that very moment sitting with him. Of course, by 'every' he meant it literally. Melu racked her brain to even remember what happened during the days she first left, much less what spells she may or may not have cast. It didn't help that whenever Thelrien felt she hadn't named enough spells, he was cut in, listing off at least 50 each time. Not only did it confuse her further, but she was fairly certain she had never even heard of at least 40 of the 50 he offered. If those were spells she was supposed to know, he was only succeeding in making her feel _even more _inadequate.

Finally, when she was finished, Thelrien offered quietly, "I have reason to believe, young one, that you were improperly trained." Melu's temper flared at the insinuated insult toward her former teacher. Her brother's former teacher.

"Magister Dawnwind is a fantastic mage!"

Thelrien scoffed. "I'm sure he is a... sufficient fire mage. But you, Melusina, are not a fire mage."

The young woman blinked at this, taken aback by his words. "I... I'm not? Then...?" She froze as the sudden fear that the word 'priest' would escape his lips next gripped her heart tight.

"You are a frost mage."

"Frost?" she repeated.

"Oh my, my," he sighed. "I have a real intellect on my hands, don't I?" She frowned but said nothing. He continued, "Your progression with the fire element could easily be compared to stagnation, at best. From what you've told me, you have already used a strong frost spell at least two times already, without even realizing it. I think it would be best if you put aside your fire studies for now and turn your attention to becoming a frost mage." The entire time, the glass in front of her hadn't moved an inch. "Try to freeze the water, Melusina."

Gingerly, Melu reach out and took the cup, holding it with both hands. _Turn it into ice? _She stared down of the water. _I don't know if I can do that. _Melu blushed in embarrassment. Giving up already? Remiel and Haphaestus would be so disappointed. Feng and Tai would pity her. She frowned and shook her head, trying to clear out all the negative thoughts. _No, I can't give up yet, I haven't even tried yet. It's just like fire, focus._

True, when forming a spell initially, regardless of the element, it begins the same- with the mind's eye. When Melu had first been practicing to form fire, she would stare at her hand, long and hard, close her eyes and imagine the fire. It would start off as a small, barely visible spark, then grow in both heat and size until it could fit snugly in her palm.

Melu took a deep, calming breath and stared at the cup. She memorized everything, the curves of the glass and the depth of the water, even a speck of dust on the rim and the condensation. Slowly, her eyes drifted closed and she began to imagine the cold creeping in. The condensation disappeared. Then the thinnest layer of ice on the top, not even reaching the edges of the glass. The cold seeped into the edges of the cup and the ice then had the water cocooned in the center. Finally, as the edges turned white with frost, the remaining water froze entirely.

Melu opened her eyes and stared down at the now half frozen cup of water in her hands. Thelrien nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. It's a start. Let us continue."

††††

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"You're an idiot, Haphaestus. You look like you got in a bar brawl with a bunch of orcs!" Zorol Firetorque scolded loudly. He had just finished bandaging the wounds his adopted son received from the scene he caused at the Sunveil estate. The old blacksmith decided that a swift fist to the back of the head was the best finishing touch.

"Hey, watch it, Zorol! And I'm not an idiot!" The red head shot back with a proud smirk. "I swear, I took out half that old man's security before one of those bastards got a lucky shot."

"Ooooh, Lord Haphaestus, I'm so impressed!" Zorol replied in monotonous mockery, arms crossed over his chest. The younger elf growled.

"Hey! Don't be jealous, just 'cause you're all bark no bite- ow! Dammit!" he cried. He nursed the new injury on his head caused by none other than his dear foster-father who was now holding a smithing hammer threateningly.

After several minutes of the young apprentice alternating between insults, crying over his injury and feigning death, Zorol decided to switch the subject. "So? What are you going to do? Are you going to leave the city and search for her yourself? That's a bit dangerous, don't you think?" Haphaestus shrugged. "No more dangerous than when Melu or Rem set off by themselves. I have to find out what's happened to her. If she needs my help, I've gotta be there."

Zorol shook his head, setting his hammer down. "Your cousins were both trained mages. The only thing your skilled in is making weapons, not wielding them. That aside, you've never set foot outside of the city and you have no leads where to look. I'm not saying don't help Melu, but be realistic about the situation you're in."

His son growled, "I can take care of myself." Zorol rolled his eyes. As much as he didn't want Haphaestus to go, convincing him to stay was already a lost cause. The younger man would leave, ill-prepared as always, regardless of the old elf's opinion.

"Well, last anyone's heard she went MIA in Warsong, right?" Haphaestus quirked an eyebrow at the blacksmith.

"Right?" he agreed hesitantly.

"Well, I heard Lady Ankou has returned from Warsong Gulch, she was supposedly on the front line alongside Melu." Haphaestus perked up at this bit of information.

"Seriously?" he breathed.

Zorol glanced at him. "Well, it's only rumor that she was on front line, but nevertheless, she was _there. _So I see no harm in at le-" His words fell on deaf ears as Haphaestus bolted up from his chair and out the door.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

††††

††††

Ankou Falcorathas was in a very sour mood. The battle for Warsong Gulch had ended in complete failure. Though not as many were lost in the retreat as was expected, it was still too many for Ankou.

Her companion, Athamor, gave the priest a side-long, knowing glance. "Don't dwell on it," He murmured, his voice barely rising above the din of the streets. Silvermoon was packed full of soldiers fresh from the front-line, desperate for a sense of normality. Ankou fought the need to smite all of them.

"I'm not dwelling! I'm just pissed. I was _right there, _in the middle of it all! Yet I still managed to lose track of that damned mage and let her get caught." Ankou paused. "Well, not that it's _my _fault she got caught, but still. Healing is my _duty, _why can't people just be smart and stay where I can see them?"

"You shouldn't worry about healing everyone, this is war after all. Death happens."

"I don't care if people die, so long as they don't die on _my _watch. As long as they are, I have to keep trying. I have to get better. Better than _her._" Athamor didn't reply and continued leading her hawkstrider through the busy streets. Ankou shifted in her saddle. Her back was killing her. She wanted to tell him to hurry up, but telling Athamor to hurry was like telling a wall to speak.

The tiny hairs rose and she felt her spine go rigid as something came hurtling toward her unprotected back. Athamor spun on his heel, moving to intercept, but was too slow. The hawkstrider let loose an awful shriek as it's tail feather's were grabbed mercilessly, halting the duo's forward motion. Ankou glared down at the perpetrator, a wheezing red-haired elf. His hands on his knees as he caught his breath and his hair hiding his face from view. Judging by the general sootiness of him he was one of the very few blacksmiths in the city. His red hair was the dead give away that he was Haphaestus Firetorque, the former Sunveil.

_Ew, his dirty hands touched my hawkstrider, _Ankou thought in disgust, nudging the bird a step away from the man as he caught his second wind. He stood up suddenly.

"You're Ankou, yeah?"

Athamor glared at the blacksmith. "You will address the priestess as _Lady _Ankou, she is a healer of the battlefront and an envoy of the city!" Haphaestus ignored him completely, much to the pair's irritation.

"And you were at the Warsong Gulch?"

"I'm done with this interrogation, Firetorque, you're here to ask me about your cousin, right?" Ankou sighed. She wanted to go home and _rest. _She didn't want to get into Sunveil drama. Everyone in the city knew that nothing in the whole of Azeroth was worth getting involved with that family.

"Do you know where she is?" he asked hesitantly, scared of the the raven-haired elf's reply. He looked so helpless. Ankou couldn't bring herself to toy with him or leave him hanging, not that honesty was going to do him much good.

"She got caught by the Alliance." The duo watched as her words sunk in with the blacksmith. Haphaestus collapsed on the ground.

"So she's... dead?" Ankou bit her lip. Should she tell him?

"Not necessarily." Both men looked up at her in surprise.

"Lady Ankou!" Athamor said in a scolding tone.

"I'm not just going to sit idly by when there's even a sliver of a chance," Ankou snapped, sliding down from her mount grabbing Athamor's offered hand. She knelt down in front of Haphaestus. "Please don't misunderstand. Aside from the information I'm about to give you, I won't help you at all to save your cousin, you're on your own there." Haphaestus nodded grimly, urging her to continue. "The Alliance aren't like the Horde, they keep their prisoners alive a lot longer than we do. They consider them valuable intel. Those who are captured are either tortured for their information or become traitors, spying on us in exchange for their lives." There was a pregnant silence as the two stared at eachother. "But, there may be a way, not only to see if she's still alive, but to get her out as well, of course that's only if they accept the job."

Haphaestus watched Ankou as she scrounged through a small cloth purse and pulled out a paper and writing utensil. She quickly jotted a few notes down before handing it to the blacksmith. He looked it over. "The Sanctum? North eastern Azshara... ask for Guild mistress Koleyna Duskheart." He glanced questioningly at Ankou. "A horde guild will be able to get me into Stormwind?"

"A neutral guild, actually," she corrected. "Koleyna accepts members of all races and factions into her guild and also does jobs for anyone who pays. A goblin in the body of a blood elf, really. That being said, she has one foot in the door with both Stormwind and Orgrimmar. Neither city completely trusts the Sanctum, but their not stupid enough to turn the guild away either. As much as I hate to admit it, Koleyna can help you. She has the people who can get inside Stormwind and find your cousin. Whether or not she'll risk her men to _save _her though, I can't make any promises."

Haphaestus felt his hands shake with excitement. "Thank you, this is more than I could have hoped for," he said. He took a deep, calming breath and bowed to the priestess and her guardian. Turning on his heel, he headed toward the court of the sun. Ankou could hear him muttering prayers for his cousin as he ran off and she couldn't help but whisper a short one for both the Sunveil's.

_You better save her, Koleyna._

††††

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Melu sighed irritably. Shortly after Thelrien left, Yan-Yu decided to put the girl to work. With her new teacher offering a quick translation on his way out the door, the young elf learned that the mother intended to make her earn her keep. She was going to learn both common and housework while she was staying under the woman's roof. Melu didn't mind learning common, simply because she had the strong need to ask the hunter "WHY?"

Grandfather never made her clean the estate, she wasn't against cleaning, she was just against being _ordered _to clean_ someone else's_ house. Melu found herself growing more and more short-tempered (a great feat for such an introverted personality) ever since her fight with Feng in Darkshore. She managed by pure luck to get away from the Harvester, but she was still no closer to getting home and the thought made her depressed and agitated.

Yet despite everything, Melu still found herself at Yan-Yu's kitchen sink, scrubbing dirty dishes with an old rag. She glared at the china spitefully. Maybe if she washed it hard enough, the paint would chip away. That would show that bossy woman! Melu sighed. All irritated and nowhere to vent. Feng was somewhere in the house, hidden away where he could see or hear her, but she had no idea where he was. _Like a damn cat, _she thought putting a clean dish down with more force than necessary. Tai and Yan-Yu had left to go do something as well, Shing following at their heels leisurely. From outside the window, Melu caught the occasional blur of motion that indicated the little trio were still nearby the house.

_I miss Remiel and Haphaestus. By the Sunwell, I even miss Grandfather! I wonder how they're all doing, _Melu thought to herself with a heavy sigh. A sudden shout from just outside the front door caused the elf to almost drop the plate she was cleaning. _Whoever that was, they sound angry. _Cautiously, the elf tip-toed to the windows near the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the noise-maker.

She was mildly surprised to see the four men, two of them armed guards, standing right outside the door. The two casually dressed men hovered over Yan-Yu's children, arms crossed and cruel grins on their faces.

_"Hey now, squirt, I'm not trying to upset you or your brother or sister. I'm just asking a question, right? Now, I'll ask you again. Where's your mommy hiding the blood elf?" _one of the men said, leaning down close to Benji. He glared at the man, Anna and Dom hiding behind their brother.

_"Wipe that look off your face you fucking brat," _The other man growled. _"You better answer him, or I swear I'll smack you so hard your face will be one entire bruise, you got me?"_

Melu's eyes narrowed as Anna and Dom burst into frightened tears. Benji also looked scared stiff, but refused to budge. The two guards also didn't move, or even so much as say anything in the children's defense. The mage cursed beneath her breath. _Humans! No redeeming qualities, whatsoever. Well, except for the Liredan's. _Melu moved toward the door. She doubted she would be able to do much to help them. As a prisoner under King Wrynn's rule, harming his people would definitely result in her swift return to the Harvester. Not only that, but she knew that fighting with the two men, even in the defense of Yan-Yu's children, would only make situations worse for the Liredan's.

Melu opened the door in hopes of giving Benji and his siblings a quick escape into the house. Her eyes laid on the group just as one of the men delivered a sound slap to the young boy's face. Anna screamed and Dom's cries rose to terrified wails.

"What are you doing! Get away from them!" Melu shouted, pushing passed the two guards and forced herself between the men and Benji. She glared at the two as their surprised looks shifted into evil smirks. "Back off!" She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Melu glanced behind her to Benji. His cheek was already starting to swell and his eyes were overflowing with tears he was trying in vain not to spill. He was scared, embarrassed and hurt, but okay. Melu made a quick gesture to the door. "Go back inside, get your brother Feng!" They looked at her uncertainly. "Get Feng!" she reiterated. Anna was the first to move to the door, tugging her two brothers with her.

_"There you are, you monster!" _Melu gasped as she felt a hand clutched painfully at her hair, pulling her backwards.

_These bastards, _she thought to herself as she managed to tear herself away, losing a clump of hair in the process. _First they terrorize Yan-yu's children and now attack a blood elf woman who can't even fight back? Real heroes here. _She glared at them. Not only at the two men who started the fight but also the guards who did nothing to save Benji, Anna or Dom. Even now they simply stood there, tense and guilty as Melu's attackers cornered her against the wall. She opened her mouth to call for their help, but the more violent of the two men took her moment of distraction to punch her in the stomach. She collapsed on the ground with a groan.

A wicked thought came to mind. Stormwind's park was surprisingly empty. If she burnt all four men to cinders, no one could send her back to the Harvester. Even better, no one would be able to cause trouble for the Liredan's. _They've done so much for me already._ Melu steeled herself, calling forth what little fire power she had. _The least I can do is protect Yan-Yu's children._

The two men noticed the heat emanating from her closed fists and panicked.

_"You see her! She's going to use magic! Stop her! Kill her!" _Melu stood slowly, still focused on channelling the magic. She had to gather enough to take all four out at the same time or else one would escape and her plan would be ruined.

_Kill them all. Don't leave any witnesses! _A small spark of cold fear made her glance toward the kitchen windows. Good, the kids weren't watching.

_Bam!_

She heard the sound before she felt the pain. Hell she even watched the guard point his rifle at her. Yet somehow it seemed unreal, like it wasn't really a gun, or he wasn't really going to shoot her. In hind sight, Melu realized how preposterous that was. She was in a fight, possibly to the death, with two grown men, her adrenaline was at it's peak. Still somehow she didn't feel like she was going to die and so she didn't pay the guard any mind, even as he fired at her.

Red hot pain bloomed in her shoulder and blood covered her chest. As she fell, she thought she heard a woman scream, but the pain and sudden loss of blood was making the world spin something terrible. She laid on the ground, gathering her bearings. _Someone would've heard that. I have to kill them now before it's too late! They saw me casting, what if they tell their king? _Melu squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her left hand. Good, she could still move it. Around her she could hear the sounds of a scuffle and raised voice. The men were fighting.

_"You bastards! What have you done!"_

_"Where are my children? Feng! Where are-"_

Melu's eyes snapped open and she struggled to sit up. Those were Tai and Yan-Yu's voices. Feng had both of the guards by their throats, shaking one of them violently. Tai and the wolf Shing were chasing after the other two men. The little trio were standing in the doorway, crying to their mother as she held all three of them lovingly.

"Melu!" The elf's eyes drifted to Tai as the paladin ran toward her, panic written all over her face. _"Oh Light, I'm so sorry Melu. Oh fuck, look at you! They shot you! Damned-" _Tai suddenly whipped around angrily. _"Where the fuck were you, Feng? You could've stopped this!"_

Feng dropped the two men and turned on his sister. _"I was just next door! Old Man Joe said he needed help with-"_

_"I don't give a damn! You were supposed to be watching her! And now look! Benji, Anna and Dom are all scared out of their minds! Benji's been hit! And Melu's been shot! You should never have left the house-"_

_"Fuck you!" _Feng roared taking a step toward Tai, a dangerous look in his eyes.

_"Enough!" _Yan-Yu shouted above the chaos. She sent an authoritative glare to her two oldest. _"Get inside," _She said quietly. _"Tai, take care of Melu. Feng get rid of these two jokers. I'll request new guards this afternoon."_

Melu watched quiveringly as Tai and Feng sent final glares to one another then went about their business. As the paladin helped her to her feet, she thought to herself, _I should've killed them faster. I hope this doesn't cause problems for Tai and Feng later on. _Melu was sat down in the kitchen along with the little ones, who all watched her nervously. Yan-Yu alternated between comforting her children and keeping Tai and Feng separated. Shing stayed posted at the door, growling at anyone unfortunate enough to pass by the house.

It was only several hours later that the heavy atmosphere began to lift from the house. Melu's wound had been properly cleaned and dressed, with a little bit of healing assistance from Tai. Feng now refused to so much as be in a different room as Melu, which she wasn't sure whether to find weird and oppressive or just plain adorable. He seemed to be taking her injury very personal, which Melu couldn't understand at all, it wasn't like _he _shot her.

It just after lunch, a very quiet and sullen lunch, when things started to turn around for the better. Yan-Yu was cleaning the dishes, which Melu tried to offer her help, but the mother declined. Although the elf wasn't sure if she was saying no to her assistance or simply couldn't understand a word Melu was saying. So she sat at the table, watching as Benji and Anna played cards, scolding Dom lightly any time the toddler reached for the deck. Eventually, the small boy got bored and his eyes rested on Melu, more specifically, her ears. The mage watched, staying perfectly still, as Dom slid out of his chair and unabashedly climbed into her lap, one tiny hand gripping her arm for balance as the other reached for her face.

_"Dom! Stop it! Mom, Dom's in the elf's lap!" _Anna cried, her voice accusing. Benji leapt from his chair to Melu's side, reaching for his brother. Feng merely watched from his seat on the countertop next to Yan-Yu who chuckled in reply.

_"It's fine guys. Dom just wants to see her ears. She's not going to do anything, so just go back to your game," _Feng said. Benji tossed a disbelieving look between his siblings but sat down nevertheless. Dom leaned forward, his face inches from her's, and grabbed one of her long elven ears.

Melu squirmed internally. Why was the boy on her lap? What did he want? What was she supposed to do? She didn't want him to be scared of her or cry, so she remained as frozen as a statue as Dom felt her face. Benji and Anna had now lost all interest in their game and were watching the pair with growing fascination.

_"Me too!" _Anna declared, jumping up from her chair. Benji looked entirely against it, but didn't say anything as the young girl skipped over to Melu's side with a cute smile. The elf tried to calm her nerves and give Anna her friendliest smile. The girl reached up, wriggling her fingers at the elf. Melu leaned down, quickly grabbing Dom as he began to lose his balance from the sudden movement. Anna squealed in delight as her fingers brushed against the wispy ends of Melu's eyebrows. _"So weird! Benji, c'mere!" _Anna cried, motioning to her brother. He scowled.

_"No way!"_

_"Scaredy cat!"_

_"Am not!"_

_"Are too!"_

_"Am not!"_

_"Then come here!"_

_"Fine!" _Benji fumed, stomping over to them. He stood there, glaring at Melu and she suddenly found herself frozen in mild fear. That boy really did hate her. Her stomach twisted at the thought. She watched as his hand tentatively reached for her and she felt just the feather of a touch against the tip of her ear.

Anna grinned. _"See! Isn't it neat?" _Anna asked excitedly. Benji blushed and scowled at the floor.

_"I guess," _he muttered. Melu looked from the children to Feng and Yan-Yu who stood watching. She felt her heart flutter as the rogue's lips twitched in the smallest of smiles.

_Today turned out alright, even if I did get shot, _she thought to herself happily. The door burst open and everyone in the kitchen looked up to see a beaming Tai, arms full of bags.

_"Good thing I went back outside! I almost forgot all the clothes Mom and I picked out for Melu! Hey elfy, c'mere and see what we got you!" _Tai said with a laugh bouncing over to the table. Melu couldn't understand her words, but her cheer was contagious and the mage found herself giggling softly. Suddenly Anna scowled at her older sister.

_"No!" _she wailed. _"She's playing Ransack with us! Ransack! Ransack!"_

Benji quickly joined her._ "Nobody cares about your girly clothes, stupid."_

Tai's jaw dropped dramatically. _"She cares! I bought them for her! Brat!"_

Yan-Yu intercepted. _"Now, now you two. Benji, it won't take that long for Melu to look at the clothes, and Tai, you're 18 years old. Don't fight with your baby brother."_

Melu sat and watched, holding a few of the cards in her hand for Dom. He seemed endlessly entertained with switching the positions of the cards as she held them. She smiled as Feng sat down at the table. He beckoned Tai and the others over as he grabbed the cards and shuffled them.

_Yes, today is a good day, _she decided.


	13. Crossing the Rubicon

**Hello, all! Removed the old chapter 12 and replaced it with this one. I didn't delete Effort For Apples, though. Just turned it into a one-shot. I felt that the old chapter was a little too random and wasn't going with the flow of the story. Hopefully this chapter is a little better. I know it's been a little slow and anti-climactic since Melu got away from the Harvester, but don't worry. Things will be getting interesting next chapter.**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng, Tai, Yan-Yu, Felice, Sorin and Solarian all belong to me.  
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**Feel free to review.  
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**Chapter 12: Crossing the Rubicon**

Feng took in a breath of fresh park air, letting out a heavy sigh. He glanced at the two soldiers standing silently behind him. It had been five days since the incident with the two men and the guards. With Tai's assistance, Melu's arm was now almost completely healed. An announcement had gone through the city, informing everyone of her presence. The citizens reacted surprisingly well to the news. With only the occasional dirty look, Feng realized no one planned to attack the blood elf out right.

He decided it was time for a slight change of pace. Melu had arrived to his mother's home well over a week ago and rarely left her room since then. In that respect, it was no different from a prison cell. Well, not today. With a slight nod to each of the guards, he walked inside.

He passed Yan-Yu and Tai, ignoring their giggles and continued on down the hall. He gave a short rap on the door before opening it. Melu and Thelrien looked up at him.

"Ah, young Mr. Feng, is there something you need?" Thelrien greeted with the minimum politeness.

Feng opened his mouth, which quickly snapped shut again. He had a very clear plan for today. Very logical. However, now that he was here, about to offer said idea to Melu, the whole thing seemed a little lame.

"Or perhaps you simply wished to waste miss Melusina's valuable learning time?" The two elves stared up at him, one clearly impatient, the other curious.

Feng frowned. Then again, he was here already, it would be stupid to turn around after coming this far.

"I jus' wanted to know if Melu would be interested in a walk around the park. Stretch her legs. After your lesson of course."

The maginor raised a single brow at the young rogue before turning to his student. The blood elf's common was much better. Though she now had the conversational skills of an ogre, she still needed Thelrien to fully understand most questions thrown her way. Melu cried out with glee, bouncing in her seat as Thelrien repeated Feng's offer. The high elf sighed.

"Oh good, now you've done it. She won't be able to focus on the rest of the lesson. I suppose I have no choice but to relinquish her to you now. But in return, tomorrow's lesson will be longer." Feng fought back the smile that tugged at his lips and simply nodded.

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Melu felt like she would burst with excitement. When Thelrien told her she would be leaving the house, she didn't believe it at first. But the serious expression of her teacher and the strangely anxious look on Feng's face convinced her otherwise.

The park! When she first came to Stormwind, it was dark and she was too distressed by her situation to appreciate anything. The second time was with those men. Again, not a chance to take in the scenery. Melu's gut grew cold with a sudden fear. What if those men come back? What if the park is crowded? All the humans are alike and humans don't like her. The image of being torn apart by an angry mob made Melu shiver, catching Feng's eye.

"Come on," He beckoned, stepping out into the sunlight. Melu bit her lip uncertainly. She didn't want to face more angry people like those two men, or more heartless ones like those two guards. If it was a choice between enjoying the sunlight or staying safe, she would gladly forego nature. She would lock herself inside for the rest of forever and become a cave woman.

As her eyes traveled from Feng's sun-kissed skin to the vibrantly verdant grass beneath his feet, Melu's mind decided it had enough of her foolishness. Cave's be damned. She was going to step outside and she was going love it. Tentative, Melu took small steps toward him until she felt the sweet warmth of sunlight wrap around her like a blanket.

Once again, the park with suspiciously empty as the pair began their walk, the guards close behind. Melu spotted a few people, either walking to a specific destination, or enjoying the gardens as she was. Every time each of them spotted her, their faces contorted in disgust and they hurried away out of sight.

Melu tried to convince herself the looks didn't matter, they weren't even sin'dorei, so their opinions of her were irrelevant. She was a Sunveil and the notoriously diffident failure of Silvermoon; for those reasons alone, she should have been quite used to receiving dirty looks. Despite knowing that, Melu quickly realized that being the target of hostility of a race that wasn't her own was an entirely different matter. It was one thing to be treated badly in her own homeland, she never wondered if she would be killed by an angry blood elf. In Stormwind, it wasn't like that. Melu was very aware that one wrong move and she could be murdered in front of a blood thirsty crowd.

The elf shuddered again and glanced at Feng. If he and his family lived here and swore their loyalty to the king, then obviously Stormwind wasn't a bad place. But not even the most kind-hearted of citizens could rest easy knowing that there was an enemy in their city that the guards planned to do nothing about. Melu knew this would end in one of two ways, either the people would riot, demanding the king execute her, or they would take matters into their own hands and kill her themselves. Either way, Melu knew her days with Feng and Tai were numbered.

_And for that reason, I should enjoy this while I got it, _Melu decided, admiring the fountain. _I'm not going to let anyone kill me. _She only half-listened as Feng pointed out certain shops, reading their names to her. _I'll escape from here before that happens. I'll go home to Remiel and Haphaestus. _The memory of her family brought a nostalgic smile to her lips.

"Oh! Hey, Feng!" A woman's voice broke Melu out of her train of thought. Her eyes focused on a young woman who looked around the same age as Feng, maybe older. She had coffee colored skin and full black hair in low pigtails. The woman halted as her eyes landed on Melu and she scowled.

_"I heard that the warden was forcing your mum to watch over that blood elf spy! Are your brothers and sisters alright? She hasn't tried to attack you or anything, right?" _the woman whispered in hushed tones, shooting dark glances toward the mage who pretended not to notice. She spoke so quickly, Melu couldn't follow a word she said.

Feng shook his head and responded in a monotone voice, "Everyone's fine. The elf's perfectly harmless. Well, as harmless as Horde come." Hearing that, Melu glanced away. Though she couldn't understand the woman, it was fairly obvious what they were talking about. Though it was vague and round-about, Melu was glad that Feng was defending her.

_ "Which is not at all," _the girl quipped. Feng stared at her, clearly unamused. She quickly changed the subject. _"I heard the Darkmoon Faire will be arriving soon! I can't wait!"_

Feng gave a short, "hmm."

The girl fidgeted, the conversation obviously wasn't going how she had hoped. _"Do you plan on going to the Faire?" _Feng shook his head. She wilted visibly, defeated. _"Well, it was nice running into you! I'll see you around!"_

"Yeah, see ya." Feng gave a half-hearted wave before herding Melu back toward the house. The blood elf glanced over her shoulder. The girl had turned around as well to glare once more at Melu.

_Why do I feel like she hates me for more than just my race? _She thought, glancing at Feng. _If I were to ask, he would probably say something like 'it's none of your business!' or 'she's just a girl who lives around here. Their family's known my family since forever and a century. She just feels threatened by a member of the Horde being so close to her friend.' _Melu scoffed at the thought, ignoring Feng's quizzical glance. _She doesn't hate me because I'm Horde. She hates me because I'm female and within a 5 mile radius of you, stupid boy._

She thought back to how Feng had so easily disregarded the girl's presence and all of her attempts at conversation. Melu couldn't help but feel insulted _for _her. The girl clearly liked him. He should at least acknowledge her feelings.

As the two walked back into the house, the guards returning to their posts at the door, Melu remembered the aura of undisguised hate radiating off the young woman. _Well, what Feng feels for her is... Whether those two are friends or not is none of my business. Either way, I hope I don't run into her again._

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Feng was irritated. He was so sure the park was what Melu wanted. After days on end of finding ways to kill time in that tiny guest room, the rogue knew that anyone in their right mind would want to be outdoors. Even if it was just sitting in the grass, right outside the house, at least she would have been in the sun. However, halfway through their walk around the park, Melu became incredibly down-trodden. At first he suspected that the gardens reminded her too much of home, but then he followed her gaze to a pair of grimacing old men who watched her warily from the safety of their porch. What? Did she expect the park to be empty? Full of fluffy animals? He knew she was shy, but he couldn't just make the people of Stormwind disappear. In the back of his mind, he knew there was more to it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table. Then _Felice _just _had _to show up. He wasn't friends with her. He only knew her from the few times they ran into each other in the city and she had also talked to that chatter box of a sister of his. He never realized that the young warlock was so good at being catty. While some rudeness was a given, Felice had put in an extra amount of effort to make Melu feel unwelcome. Before the older woman had showed up, Melu was beginning to open up and smile again. So Feng couldn't even bring himself to be polite to Felice once she opened her mouth.

At the sound of an impish giggle, Feng rolled his eyes. "Whatever it is, Tai, I'm really not in the mood."

"I wonder why?" Tai said, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer. He glared at her. "Y'know, dear brother, that look's the one you always have when you don't get something you want."

Now Feng was pissed, not only at the whole day, but at Tai as well. She saw through him so easily and pointed out something he wasn't quite ready to admit to himself yet.

"Y'know what? Fuck this," Feng growled, standing up from the chair and striding toward the door so suddenly he caught the paladin by surprise.

"Wait, where are you going?" She called.

"Back to my apartment. If you need me, don't call," he answered before slamming the door.

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Yan-Yu sighed, turning her gaze from the door to her eldest daughter.

"Don't you think you took the teasing _a little _too far?" the mother suggested. Tai whirled around, arms crossed over her chest.

"No way! Feng's such an idiot. He'll never realize unless I spell it out for him!" She replied haughtily.

The huntress chuckled. "Well, just don't joke around with little Melu, ok? She might actually take you seriously." Tai threw a questioning look at her mother.

"But that's what I want." Yan-Yu frowned and Tai groaned, knowing that look, she added, "Don't worry, Mom. Everything will work out perfectly."

Yan-Yu shook her head. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I just don't want to see the three of you get hurt from this little plan of yours. I'll admit that I enjoy watching those two fumble around each other, but something like this could never end well, Tai. Please be careful."

Walking away, she didn't see Tai's heart-broken expression.

She _did _hear a muttered, "But, it _will."_

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Her name was Feliciana Desdemona and she was a murderer.

Then again, she hadn't actually committed the crime _yet, _but she planned to. It was definite. No maybes.

Was it still murder if the victim was an enemy of her people? Killing a blood elf was like self-defense, or defending the realm, or some crap like that. Either way, no one important would care. She wouldn't go to jail. That was what was important. Going to jail. After all, how could she hope to develop her relationship with Feng if she was behind bars?

Her parents were killed when she was fifteen. She was visiting her aunt in Goldshire when they received word from the Westfall militia that her family's farm had been razed to the ground by Defias men. So she had no choice but to live with her aunt, a stingy and shrewd woman whom Felice hated with a passion.

She had met Feng a year after her parents death. She had hated him in the beginning. Aside from her aunt, he was the first person to insult her. He called her annoying. Somehow, when she turned 18, those feelings did a complete 180 and now, at 24, she had a full-fledged crush on him. Although her one and only friend Bridget alternated between calling her a stalker and a fan-girl. Felice vehemently denied being something so uncouth.

All of that aside; that blood elf was going to be a problem. Feng was being forced to watch her 24 hours a day. Which meant less time with Felice. What if Feng got seduced by the elf? The warlock's blood boiled at the thought.

"I hate that blood elf! If I ever see her alone, I'll- oof!" The young woman's train of thought was rudely derailed as she suddenly collided with another person. "Hey! Watch it!" she snapped, irked.

"You just said something about the blood elf woman, right?" Felice looked up and scowled. It was that little rich kid, Sorin Tyrrell. Did he plan to tattle on her to his daddy?

"What do you want, Tyrrell?" Felice growled.

"Did you see her? The elf, I mean?" Sorin asked excitedly. The woman's eyes bulged as her mental fuse blew. The elf already had this guy, and she _still _planned on taking Feng away? That's it. The alley way was empty enough. Felice would just kill Sorin then head back for the elf. If anyone asked, it was a crime of passion. No, defending the city. Yes, much better.

_Wait a minute, this could work. _Felice turned to Sorin, a cheshire grin on her face.

"You're in love with that elf," she stated, with a hint of disgust in her tone. Sorin blushed and stammered. "She's an enemy of the Alliance and a traitor to her people. You don't know anything about her. Your affection is for her body, not her mind."

Sorin glared. "You don't know anything. If you had ever seen her, then you would know, that elf couldn't hurt a fly! She deserves to be rescued, by any means necessary!"

"Are you two referring to Lady Melusina Sunveil?" Startled, the pair looked up to find a man standing at the mouth of the alley, watching them with a wicked grin on his face. Felice could sense the fel energy around him, though it was faint. His long blonde hair was down, though it didn't hide his strangely misshapen ears. _A novice warlock. Probably got that injury when he was gaining control of his demon, _Felice decided. Suddenly, the newcomer's words sank in. This guy was talking about the elf spy too.

"How many men does that bitch have?" Felice raged, stomping her foot and pulling her hair. The two men watched her silently.

"I have a proposition for you two," the stranger offered, the nasty smile never leaving his face. "I have the means to rescue Melusina from Stormwind." The man glanced at Felice. "And in turn, free her caretakers from their duties." Felice perked up at that. "All you two have to do, is assist me. Complete a few minor tasks at certain times without asking any questions."

"Yes! I'll do it!" Felice cried excitedly. Sorin looked at her in surprise.

"What? Are you serious, Feliciana?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, truth be told, _I _was going to blackmail you into helping me do the exact same thing, but this guy beat me to the punch, and it sounds like his plan's more thought out than mine. So I'm going to go with him. Honestly, we don't really need a loser like you," she sneered.

"Actually, for this to work out, I do need two people, it would be best if your friend agreed to this, since he would be getting something in return," the stranger interjected. Felice whirled on Sorin.

"Sorin Tyrrell, you _have _to agree! You don't have a choice. If you don't," Felice paused, searching for something to threaten the younger man with. "I'll say you raped me!" She decided.

The young mage's heart stopped, in the background, he heard the other man scoff. "What? Are you completely insane?"

"I'm serious, Tyrrell. If you don't help us, not only will you not get your precious elf, I'll tell the whole damn city you raped me! Starting with your father!"

Sorin glared at Felice, he clearly didn't like the situation he was being forced into, but being labeled as a rapist wasn't a much better alternative. "F...fine. I'll help."

"Glad to see we're all on board," the stranger said, carefully reaching inside a leather satchel. Felice almost screamed as the man revealed a rather large and exotic looking snake that reeked of fel magic.

"What in the great nether is _that?" _Sorin asked, backing away.

The other man chuckled. "This is a mana wyrm. Harmless, I assure you. The ones that grow to be only this big have all been domesticated to be pets for nobles."

Felice frowned. "I don't understand."

The man watched the wyrm as it slithered along his arms. "The plan is being put into motion_ now."_


	14. Enough For Now

***Brushes off the cobwebs* Sorry, I know it's been a while since I last updated. I've been working so much recently, I've only been able to write bits and pieces at a time. I'll try not to take so long on the next chapter. *Grovels***

**I would really love some reviews! We're getting close to an important part in the story, but before that, I wanna make sure there's nothing I need to go back and fix. Story development? Are the characters consistent or are there moments of oocness. Notice any plot holes? Thanks again to all past and future reviewers! :D**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng, Tai, Haphaestus & co. belong to me.**

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**Chapter 13: Enough For Now.**

Crickets and wagons were the only sound in the eerily silent Duskwood. The caravans crawled at a snails pace along the road to Goldshire. Haphaestus shifted uncomfortably, pulling his hood lower over his eyes.

_This is possibly the most stupid thing I've ever done, _the smithy thought to himself irritably. He felt the motion of someone crouching down next to him and spotted his companion, Shoshan staring at him, fascinated.

Haphaestus had felt like the luckiest being in existence when the guild mistress Koleyna agreed to help him. In the back of his mind, he still questioned _why _she conceded so readily. Maybe as a favor to Lady Ankou? Then again, the priestess didn't seem to like the ranger elf very much. Well, whatever, he got the help he needed, he wasn't one to stress on little details.

"You don't look happy!" the draenei giggled, tilting her head at him. Haphaestus shot her a weary glare.

_Seriously? I'm traveling under the disguise of a Darkmoon carnie in order to infiltrate Stormwind and save my cousin. And the three helping me are members of the Alliance themselves. Not to mention the only reason that Silas Darkmoon guy let us on his caravan is because the twins bribed him. _Said twins being a pair of gnome sisters, Zamu and Toxi. The priest and warrior sidled up to Haphaestus' side opposite of Soshan.

"Well of course he's not relaxed. He's deep in enemy territory after all. Shoshan, did you even bother explain to him that the Darkmoon carnie's have all been informed of our mission?" the warrior Zamu reprimanded. Glancing at the blood elf she added, "No one's going to attack you just for speaking. So long as you don't start anything, there won't be any trouble." Haphaestus heaved a sigh of relief.

Shoshan hummed, "Oops! Guess I forgot."

"Oh, of course, you forgot," Haphaestus grumbled with a roll of his eyes. Why wouldn't she forget? It's not like laying the ground rules is at the top of the list of things to do when traveling through enemy territory.

Bouncing on her hooves, she noted, "Hey, your common is very good!"

"I'm a tradesman. I travel. I learn," Haphaestus responded vaguely. In truth he was taught by Zorol, but he never did find out where his foster-father picked it up.

This was the blacksmith's first time meeting a draenei. He definitely didn't expect the paladin to be so... air-headed. The trio were beyond weird. Shoshan defied every expectation he had of her race. Zamu and Toxi had an almost unhealthy obsession with romance; asking Haphaestus question after question of every girlfriend he ever had. When he had no more answers to give, they tried asking about any relationships he had with men. After he finished collecting his jaw from the dirt, he told them exactly where they could shove that curiosity of theirs. He grumbled at the memory.

Haphaestus glanced at Zamu. "So, I don't suppose any of you have a plan for when we _get _to Stormwind?" The pink-haired gnome smirked and patted his knee.

"You let us girls worry about that. You just sit here and look pretty." The blood elf tossed her a dubious look.

Shoshan piped in, "Don't worry! We're experts! You're cousin will be safe with us once we find her."

Haphaestus rested his back against the caravan, defeated. He already came this far. He had no choice now but to follow these three, where ever they led him.

††††

††††

"Finally, sleep!" Melu sighed, collapsing face-first onto the bed. Between lessons with Thelrien, chores with Yan-Yu and keeping up with Tai and Feng on her now daily walk, the blood elf was exhausted. Removing her clothes until only her undergarments remained, she crawled into bed and promptly fell into blissful slumber.

...

...

...

Something was in the room.

Her body registered the threat before her mind was even fully awake. The hairs on her arms stood on end and her spine went rigid. What was it? _Who _was it?

Melu felt her stomach drop and tears prick her eyes. Was it the Harvester? Had she come back to retrieve her precious "flower"? The mage's mouth went dry. She couldn't go back there. She wouldn't! She would rather die first.

Adjusting to the darkness, her eyes focused on the body hovering above her, hand reaching out to her face.

Melu screamed.

The figure jumped back, startled. That was when she heard something _slither _by her ear. She screamed again, thrashing out of the blankets.

"Holy fuck! Shut up!" the figure hissed and she realized then that the person was Feng. A very pissed and embarrassed looking Feng. A loud clamor in the hall grabbed the pair's attention as the door was ripped open.

"Is everything alright?" Yan-Yu asked as Tai scanned the room, claymore in hand.

Feng scowled. "Shut the door! Don't let it get out!"

Tai pointed an accusing finger. "T' hell with you! Melu's not an 'it' and I won't let you have your way with her!"

Feng choked in surprise. "The fuck? I w-" he stopped mid-sentence, his head snapping around as he listened for something in the room. Suddenly he leapt at something at the foot of the bed. Angry hisses and chirps were heard as he wrestled with the mystery intruder. Feng slowly righted himself into a kneeling position, bringing a mana wyrm into view. The wyrm was about the size of a house cat with scales the color of the sea. It's fins twitched threateningly at the rogue.

Melu squealed in delight, tackling both Feng and the wyrm. Shan'dor! She knew that hiss anywhere, it was her lovely little Shan'dor. Melu had been given the wyrm on her birthday when she was still a little girl and the creature followed her around ever since. It broke the elf's heart when she had received her orders to leave for Tranquillien, but she felt better knowing Shan'dor was with Haphaestus.

"Shan'dor! Come here, you beautiful thing!" Melu cooed. The mana wyrm chirped happily, nuzzling up to it's master's face. "Oh, you are a sight for sore eyes!" She felt like was she walking on air, her heart light with happiness. She only vaguely realized that she still hadn't gotten up from Feng's lap after jumping on him. The rogue watched her with an unreadable expression. She blushed. _Oh, I must've upset him, just leaping at him like that. _Melu stood up, brushing his hand off her leg and bowed slightly. "S-sorry." Feng scowled and rose to his feet.

††††

††††

Feng turned away, facing the wall. He knew all too well that if his sister saw the look on his face, she would never shut up. And like hell he would admit to the pang of disappointment he felt when Melu moved away from him.

"Melu? You ok?"

_Why wouldn't she be? _He glanced over his shoulder and at once understood Tai's question. Something was... _off _about Melu. She crooned and petted the wyrm, either ignoring Tai or didn't hear the paladin. Her eyes were drooping and unfocused. She rubbed her face against the pet's scales, breathing in as if it were the sweetest scent she ever experienced. Feng's eyes widened. He had seen this before. He had seen it plenty of times. This was what feeding an addict looked like. His face turned grim as his gaze travelled down to the animal. _Mana wyrm. _Filled to the brim with arcane energy. However, no wyrm naturally had enough energy to feed a blood elf's addiction without killing itself, so what was going on?

"We need Thelrien," he said, turning to the two women in the doorway.

"And Inquisitor Winters," his mother added. Feng gave her a questioning look and she explained, "Just in case. I think there might be more to this than meets the eye." He felt his stomach drop at that. He didn't think he could handle another person trying to hurt the elf or dragging his family into it.

"Alright, I'll head for Winters, her house is further away and I'm faster than you, Mom. Tai, you stay with Melu, don't let Benji and the others in here, ok?" Tai nodded as Feng and Yan-Yu headed out the door, quickly exiting the house. They split up the moment their feet hit cobblestone. The huntress heading for one of the towers in the Mage Quarter and Feng running off toward Cathedral Square. Adrenaline gave a burst of speed to his run and he leapt across the canal. With out looking twice, he darted between two houses, startling a nearby alley cat.

The rogue tried to keep his thoughts away from Melu as he raced through the dark. Worrying wasn't going to help anyone. Right now he needed answers; and maybe a punching bag. He focus on the Inquisitor's house. According to what his mother had told him, he was already in the neighborhood where she lived. _Do I have any lock picks with me? _Her house appeared around the corner. _Oh fuck it. _Feng jumped the steps and with a whispered apology kicked the door down.

He stepped into the brightly lit room, looking around franticly. _There!_ Dahlia Winters sat leisurely in a large red chair, book in hand, staring up at him in utter bewilderment. Mirroring her expression in the chair across from her was Connor, the Harvester's aide. With barely registered surprise, Feng realized that he wasn't wearing his mask. In the back of his mind he noted that Connor wasn't horrifically scarred or disfigured like all the rumors suggested.

"Sorry. Emergency," was Feng's clipped explanation before throwing Winters over his shoulder and running out the door. He could have sworn he heard a rather disgruntled "You're kidding me." He ignored the woman as he ran back home. He spotted Yan-Yu and Thelrien in the Park and sped up to meet them.

"Hmmph, it would appear I am not the only one you've decided to wake up at this dreadful hour. I shall warn you now, if this isn't the end of Azeroth itself-"

"It's Melu," Feng grunted, setting a very unhappy Winters down on her feet. The mage and priest glanced at him then at each other.

"Show us," Winters sighed, stepping toward the house. Once inside, Feng watched out of the corner of his eye as Thelrien visibly stiffened. As the group entered Melu's room slowly, the mage's eye immediately landed on the blood elf's pet. Wordlessly, he lifted his hand and shot a blue bolt of light at the wyrm. It screeched angrily and retreated beneath the bed. Melu gasped. Not only had Thelrien shot her pet, but said animal had been mere centimeters from her face. Feng had no doubt she could still feel the cold air from the high elf's frost bolt. He watched as she scrambled to the side of the bed, lifting the covers. Judging by the look of relief on her face, the wyrm wasn't dead, only startled. Melu stood straight, glaring daggers at Thelrien and spitting hateful words at him in thalassian. The maginor took it in stride as he turn his attention to the others in the room.

"That wyrm is chalk full of arcane energies and it's feeding the girl's magical addictions which have been slowly lessening since her arrival here." Thelrien glared down at the bed where the wyrm hid. "It shouldn't be able to do that, not without help." With a few muttered words the wyrm was pulled from it's hiding spot and into Thelrien's waiting hand. Melu's tone grew harsher and louder as she rose to protect her pet. Feng moved forward to stop her, resting both hands on her shoulders.

"Here" Thelrien said. Feng glanced back at him. The elf held the creature's jaw open expertly with two fingers, revealing a glyph written on the roof of it's mouth. "This is a spell to increase the wearer's power and those close to it. Not only that, one's power would continue to grow until the glyph is removed." Glancing at the inquisitor, as if for conformation, he said, "Truth be told, I was able to sense Melu on the opposite end of the Park."

Winters nodded as she added, "The king and his guards would be rightfully suspicious. They have to be separated."

Feng frowned. "Dammit, this just keeps getting better and better. Fine, what I want to know is _why _is it here?" Everyone simply looked at him. "It couldn't have traveled all the way from Silvermoon without help."

"It seems clear that we were wrong for assuming no one would come looking for ms. Melusina. It is obvious now that someone has infiltrated the city and is attempting to locate her," Thelrien murmured, still looking over the wriggling wyrm.

Winters sighed. "If that's the case, then the king _must _be informed."

Feng's stomach dropped. If they told King Wyrnn everything he would definitely suspect Melu. She would either be executed or delivered back to the Harvester. The rogue's blood boiled at the thought. How could they make decisions like that so carelessly? Melu turned her back on her people to prove her innocence. She was tortured by the city's most feared inquisitor for days. She lived in a city full of people who wanted her dead. She _got shot _by said people, protecting his family. She lived every day wondering if it would be her last. And now they planned to just ignore all of that and punish her for something that was out of her control? Not if Feng had something to say about. He may have been a human of the Alliance, but he was also a Liredan. His mother always taught her children to look at the individual, not the people. The blood elves may be evil, but he knew without a doubt that Melu wasn't. He'd be damned if the city guards just waltzed in here and took her away again.

He whirled around to face them fully. "Wait!"

The mage and inquisitor froze, giving him identical unamused looks. Feng swallowed hard. Okay, he had their attention, now what?

"We're waiting, young mr. Liredan," Thelrien said, bringing the rogue's attention back to the present. He glared at the high elf but remained silent. He may have been resolute in what he was about to do, but he still wasn't exactly sure _how _to do it. Even Melu had stopped struggling and watched him.

"You said it has a glyph on it?"

Thelrien's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. To increase it's power and those around it."

"And it would keep increasing until it's removed?" He was grasping for straws. Anything. Any reason at all would do.

"Yes, though I don't see why. Only a fool would do something so dangerous."

Feng's eyes lit up. "How so?" In the background, he could see Tai giving him a questioning look, clearly asking him what he was up to, but he barreled forward, ignoring everyone else.

"Their magical addiction. It's a very big problem for the sin'dorei. The transformation into what they call 'Wretched' can be almost instantaneous. The moment a blood elf gives in to their addiction," the gravel-voiced woman explained.

Looking down at Melu's pet, Thelrien added, "If she were to keep the wyrm and the glyph's power continued to grow. she would not be able to resist the temptation. She would be lost forever."

Feng nodded. He had what he needed now. "So, whoever sent this knew that it could potentially turn her into a Wretched? They can't be her ally if they have no concern for her safety."

Winters bristled. "I hope you're not going to ask us to keep this quiet, are you? Whoever sent that wyrm may be Melu's enemy, but they're clearly sin'dorei to be able to get a hold of her pet so easily! The king must be informed. We could all be incarcerated for hiding this! Melu would go back to the Harvester, is that what you want?" Feng growled, his hand balling into fists.

_You can't hit a woman, you can't hit a woman, you can't hit a two-faced gargoyle woman._

"Inquisitor Winters, you don't know anything about my children, so I don't think you have the right to presume what Feng might want," Yan-Yu said through her teeth, eyes hard as she glared at the other woman. Sensing a potential fight, Melu hid behind Feng as Tai suddenly disappeared behind the doorframe.

Winter quickly backtracked. "Please don't misunderstand, I love Melu, she's a sweet girl, but I have my own family to watch out for. I can't risk getting on anyone's bad side!"

_I'm definitely going to hit her. _The rogue remembered all the concern and interest she had for Melu when they first met. Where did that go? Northrend?

"Well, for now let's focus on catching the culprit," Thelrien said. Winters whirled on him.

"Oh, not you too, maginor! I understand and sympathize your concern for Melusina, but we have to be realistic-"

"I _am _being realistic, Inquisitor. There is no reason to get the city riled up over a specter. If ms. Melusina's personal guards-" he shot a look toward Feng and Tai for emphasis. "-Have reason to believe she's in danger, then _they _must lead the investigation. Any proof or confessed culprits are to be brought to the commander of the city guard."

Winters scowled. "Bullshit. I was there at that meeting with you, Thelrien, the king _never _said anything like that!"

Thelrien raised his chin. "It was implied."

Feng smirked and Tai shook with laughter. However, Winters didn't find the response quite as amusing. She looked ready to strangle the elf. "_It was implied? _Are you five?"

"I should hardly think so," was his quick-witted reply. "Although I think you would agree with me that for once in his life, His Majesty was quite vague concerning the details of ms. Melusina's conditions. You're free to interpret his words how you will." Winters opened her mouth to speak, but the mage quickly added, "but know that if you speak of tonight's events you will undoubtedly condemn Melusina to death."

Winters hesitated. She glanced at the blood elf. Feng watched the Inquisitor's eyes as the woman debated with herself. Several moments passed before she finally gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine, you win." She sent a weak glare toward Melu. "You're lucky you're so damn cute." As she turned to leave Feng barely heard her mutter, "..._I'm so going to die."_

"We still need to get rid of that thing," Tai piped up, motioning toward the wyrm. It had managed to free itself and was now back with it's beloved owner.

"And should probably explain to her what's going on. Her common's pretty good now, but I doubt she caught everything we've been saying," Feng added.

Honestly, Feng wasn't very surprised with Melu's reaction after Thelrien gave her a summed up explanation. The young woman was rightfully angry, both at the culprit who branded her pet and at them, for wanting to take her only childhood friend away. She hugged the wyrm close to her chest with one arm, and batted Feng and Thelrien away with the other. Despite the tears blinding her vision, the rogue had no doubt she was trying her best to look threatening. She wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

††††

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Melu glared at everyone in the room. Why were they trying to take Shan'dor? Well, she knew. Maginor Thelrien told her, but that was a stupid reason! Couldn't he just take the glyph off? Then she could keep Shand'or. They didn't have to take him away. What if they weren't just moving him somewhere? What if they planned to kill him? The mere thought made Melu sob. She kicked weakly at Feng as he made another attempt at the wyrm. It wasn't fair! She shouldn't have to give him up. They weren't trying hard enough! If they kept trying Melu knew Thelrien would find a way to remove the glyph.

A familiar flash of bronze caught her eye. The elf froze, feeling the blood drain from her face. Connor. He stood behind Winters and Yan-Yu, watching her silently. Why was he here? Did the Harvester know? Was he here to take her back? She couldn't breath. Shan'dor wriggled uncomfortably as her grip became too tight for the little creature.

Feng and Thelrien followed her line of sight to the door as Connor moved further into the room.

"What the hell's he doing here?" Feng growled.

"Well, in case you forgot you _did _kidnap me from my home during his visit. Is it so strange that he came to check on me?" Winters replied in a snippy tone, arms crossed over her chest. Everyone seemingly forgot about Melu and her panic attack in the back ground.

"He just got here. Winters told him what happened while you two were trying to get the wyrm from Melu," Yan-Yu explained.

Everyone watched warily as the masked man knelt in front of Melu. Slowly, he held out his hand to her expectantly. The blood elf glared at him through teary eyes and whimpered. She knew what he wanted. He ignored her looks and waited patiently with an unreadable expression. Melu swallowed hard and held Shan'dor up to her face. The wyrm hissed threateningly at Connor. The elf gave her beloved pet one last hug, planting a soft kiss on his scales before whispering, "I'm s-so sorry, Sh-Shan'dor." With shaky arms she handed over the mana wyrm.

Just as quickly as he came, he left. Connor stood and walked calmly out of the room, ignoring all the glares aimed at him. With Winters at his side, the pair left the Liredan house and disappeared with Shan'dor into the night.

She didn't know when the others left, but Melu soon realized that Feng and Tai were the only ones left in the room with her. _All alone... _She couldn't hold it in anymore. Her whimpers broke into full-fledged sobs. Her arms that had fallen to her sides now hugged her knees to her chest tightly. It wasn't fair! These people didn't know. They didn't know what it was like to grow up alone, with no friends. Shan'dor was her _only_ friend. But suddenly, one psycho comes along and slaps a glyph on him and, nope, no more Shan'dor for Melu.

Strong arms wrapped around her and the blood elf immediately latched onto the warmth. With white knuckles, she held onto Feng's chest like a life-line. A part of her was still mad at him for letting her pet be taken away, but a larger part was grateful for the comfort she desperately needed. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and carried back to the bed she had slept in a mere hour earlier. Feng sat on the bed and set Melu on his lap. She fit cozily into his larger frame. A hand petting her hair and a soft voice reminded the elf that Tai was also there and her heart felt a little brighter. She may have lost Shan'dor, but she still had Feng and Tai. They were humans, and deep down, Melu still wasn't entirely certain whether they considered her _their _friend; but she loved them, and in a situation like this, where she was the 'enemy' it was enough. Though she would be lying if she said she didn't dream of what it would be like under different circumstances.

Gradually, her crying eased down to sniffles. Even after she became silent and Tai left the room to sleep, Feng stayed, holding Melu. He didn't speak, he didn't pet her like his sister. He simply sat there, holding her. He stayed and in that moment, it was enough for her.

††††

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"Hey, Connor, slow down!" Dahlia Winters called to the quickly disappearing shadow. The man halted and turned to face the Inquisitor. She looked up at him with an expression with an interesting mix of apologetic yet serious.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I know how serious the consequences are for the things I've done to help Melusina and I _tried _not to get involved this time around, but..." her voice trailed off as she looked away. "I can't let another innocent person get hurt by the Harvester while the Alliance just turn a blind eye on it! And besides, Feng and Thelrien were right, there's no proof that Melusina's involved with whatever's happening right now."

Connor shrugged, clearly unbothered by both the situation and the Inquisitor's rant.

Her expression turned sad as she said, "And thank you, for taking her pet. I know you don't like being the bad guy-" Connor turned away, his posture stiff. Winters gave him a nervous look. "So will you tell the Harvester?" He shook his head. The woman relaxed visibly before continuing. "I don't want to get you into trouble. After what she did to you last time-" Again, he shook his head. Winters paused, as grateful as she was to him for keeping her secret, she couldn't bring herself to be happy about it. Not when she knew the kind of repercussion the two of them faced. She glanced down at the wyrm in his hand.

"So what are you going to do with that?" Turning around, he looked at the beast then back at her. Dahlia blinked in surprise. While no one else would have noticed, she knew right away that underneath his mask, her little brother was _smiling._


	15. Three Little Words

**Yay, new chapter! I've got four consecutive days off from work this week, so assuming I don't get called in, I'm going to spend that time writing! Wallflower's about two chapters or so away from the end of Melu's adventure in Stormwind. Will it continue after that? Who knows! :D**

**I wasn't quite sure about the ending here. I was pretty tired writing this, but wanted to make sure to finish it tonight.  
**

**As always, reviews are love.**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Tai and Feng Liredan & Co. belong to me.  
**

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**Chapter 14: Three Little Words**

The early morning sun and the sound of Benji and Anna playing by her window woke Melu from a very pleasant dream. The scent of freshly cooked food wafted in from the kitchen and she could tell that Tai was already up, chatting amiably with her mother. Despite all this, the blood elf had absolutely no desire to move just yet. In fact, she really wanted to go back to sleep.

_That was such a good dream, _she thought wistfully. Maybe it wasn't too late? She could definitely get it back if she fell asleep now. With chipper resolution, Melu settled back down on the firm pillow.

...Firm?

Melu's eyes shot open. She didn't move. She didn't have to look up to know that it was Feng she was using as a pillow. He slept slouched against the back board of the bed. The blood elf's cheek was pressed up against his abdomen, rising and falling steadily with each breath he took. A part of her wanted desperately to look up and admire the standoffish man's sleeping face, while the other wanted to run and hide in shame. She blushed furiously. She shifted, praying silently that she wouldn't wake the rogue. She waited. No reaction. Success! She pressed her palms against the mattress and slowly began to lift herself.

Large hands flew up, grabbing Melu's shoulders. She let out a surprised squeak and if it weren't for Feng's hands holding her in place she probably would have fallen on him. He looked down at her. A thousand embarrassing thoughts flew through her mind and suddenly she couldn't bear the thought of explaining herself and seeing his reaction. Blindly, her hands shot out, shoving herself away from him and out of the bed. She landed on the floor with a soft "oof!" Half crawling, half running, she fled the room without so much as a backwards glance.

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Feng blinked slowly. What just happened? Why was he in Melu's room? And why did his face hurt? The young man was a sad excuse for a rogue when first woken up in the morning. Not that he'd ever admit it. Most people imagined rogue's being light sleepers, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. However, Feng had never been a morning person. His body could react on instinct if someone got too close, but his brain was never quite as fast.

As he sat and thought, memories of last night came flooding back. He cursed quietly. He remembered Melu falling asleep in his arms, the young man following her shortly after. No doubt, she woke up and misunderstood the situation. Feng rose slowly from the bed. He could hear Tai and their mother talking to the elf in the kitchen. He shoved his hands in his pockets trying to ignore the heat that crept across his face. No way could he face her now. Not when she thought he snuck into her bed, and _definitely _not when stupid Tai was in the same room. Feng scowled, imagining the things she would say if she found out.

_I'll just go for a walk, _he decided. The rogue slunk quietly to his room where he planned to quickly get dressed and escape via window. Hopefully without arousing any suspicion from a certain nosy sister or embarrassed elf.

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_ I can't believe that actually happened. Feng, you're such a nice guy, comforting me while I was sad about Shan'dor. Oh! And don't mind me as I _completely _invade your personal space and sleep on you the whole night. You probably wanted to escape long before I fell asleep, but were too nice to say anything, _Melu hung her head, crushed by embarrassment. _Sunwell save me. _Glaring down at the wooden table, she thought bitterly, _I feel like I'm stuck in some sort of sick comedy. Clearly written by a teenage girl._

"You even paying attention, Melu?" The elf jumped at the sound of her name and looked up apologetically at Tai.

"S-sorry," she replied.

"I was just asking what you used to do back in Silvermoon. For fun, I mean. With your friends," she added with a wave of her hands. Melu bit her lip.

"I read. Play with Shan'dor." The younger woman raised a single, quizzical brow.

"Anything else?"

Melu sifted through her memories. "Servants taught me..." Melu struggled for the word, finally she motioned to her dress.

"How to dress yourself?" Tai offered, a blank expression on her face. Yan-Yu chuckled, rolling her eyes. Melu shot the paladin an unimpressed look. She reached for Tai's shirt then made a scissors gesture with her fingers.

"Oh, _tailoring! _Right," Tai said, slightly embarrassed. Hoping to ignore her silly blunder, she pressed on with her questions.

"So, did you not like hanging out with your friends?"

Melu smiled shyly and shrugged. "Didn't have any." It was hard to explain without thalassian. She was disliked amongst the blood elves both for being a Sunveil and for not being a good enough Sunveil. Oh, the irony.

Tai and her mother fell silent and glanced nervously at each other.

"Where did your brother go? Shouldn't he be up by now?" Yan-Yu asked, wisely changing the subject.

The younger woman ran a hand through her choppy hair. "Usually he's awake before anyone else. Maybe he left already? That's weird though, since he and I are supposed to watch Melu 24-7."

"He went back to his apartment the other day," the huntress pointed out.

"Which he shouldn't have done," Tai responded with a frown. "If anyone found out he's been leavin' like this, they could strip _both _of us of our duties and Melu would be stuck with some total ass-hat."

"Watch your language, but I agree- kind of. Your brother needs to be more careful. Then again, I suppose the rules simply stated that Melu had to be watched, it didn't matter whether it was one or both of you. Still, be careful," Yan-Yu warned before cleaning up the dirty dishes from the kitchen table.

Tai rose from her seat and smiled warmly at her elf friend. "Well, let's go for our usual walk, Melu. But this time let's try to find that stupid brother of mine. Go get dressed!"

Melu felt her heart skip a beat as she hurried to the guest room. She was always excited for her strolls through the city with Tai and Feng. However, all those other days weren't started with an awkward morning between her and a certain rogue. Quickly changing into a simple dress she followed Tai out into the humid air of the park. The two guards fell into step behind them.

"Alright, let's head over to Old Town first..."

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He knew the girls were looking for him. Which was why he was nowhere near any of his usual hangouts. No, as soon as he spotted Melu's brown hair and heard Tai's voice over the crowd he high-tailed it out of Old Town with those two none the wiser. He knew the last place anyone would look for him was Cathedral Square, so he that's where he was. Resting leisurely on the roof of a building he wondered when the best time to return home was. After all, he _was _supposed to be guarding Melu. If anyone found out he was shirking his duties... he didn't want to think about it. _I'll just hide until lunch time, _he decided. His stomach growled in protest from the lack of breakfast.

He could just apologize. Feng frowned. _I didn't do anything wrong, though. _He growled and ran a hand through his messy hair. Somehow, this was even more complicated than when he told her the apple pies she baked were bad. Which was strange considering he made her _cry _that time_. _However, he'd had a point to make, so he knew what to say. This time was an accident. He may not have made her cry this time, but the extreme waves of embarrassment he felt were just as crippling as seeing her tears.

At that thought, his mind immediately wandered back to last night, when the mana wyrm was taken away. Feng winced. He hated doing that to her. She obviously loved the creature very much, but for her safety, they had to do it.

Feng sat up as an idea suddenly dawned on him. What if he got her something as an apology? That way, he didn't have to _really _say it, because Light knows when Feng Liredan tries talking to a woman, he only manages to piss her off more somehow. Presents are good apologies, but what would he get? Again, an image of the wyrm flickered through his brain. Well, he couldn't retrieve the wyrm, or get her a new one, but he could get her a _different _pet. Generally, when someone replaces a person's lost pet with a new one, the recipient doesn't want a "replacement" they want the original. _So it would be safer just to go with something completely opposite of a reptile, _the rogue decided, hopping down from the roof.

What would he get? There was that crazy cat lady outside of Stormwind, but leaving the city without Melu might _really _get him into trouble. He may have be good at sneaking around, but he didn't want to risk it. Feng stopped at the canal and glanced around. _Where's that runt when I need him? _The boy must have finally been able to sell his kitten. Damn.

Careful not to be seen, he crossed the canal, heading over to the Trade District. _Guess my only option left's the auction house,_ Feng thought with a hint of disdain. Auctioned pets had the tendency of being terribly over-priced, but he had already decided to get it for her. Then again, a pet was a huge responsibility. The mage had already been forced to separate from one animal and now here he was, about to dump another one on her. In Melu's complicated situation, giving her a new pet would just be a burden.

If he didn't get her that, then what _would _he buy her as an apology? Feng halted abruptly in the street, ignoring the people who were forced to skirt around him. He scowled. He didn't know what Melu liked or disliked. The chances of wasting his money on something she hated were very high, but he still felt obligated to do _something. _The rogue realized he was just as bad as his sister when it came to shopping for other people.

Just as he took a step toward the Auction House, a pitiful cry rose from the narrow alley way nearby. Barely interrupting his thoughts, Feng cast a distracted glance, searching for the source. Not too long ago, he would have bolted down that alley, making sure it wasn't an injured child or homeless person. At a half-heart pace, he walked into the shadows, trying to remember all the different shops he visited with Melu.

_Dammit, what's happening to me? When did this get so complicated?_

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"Where the nether is that fuck-tard? He's just up and disappeared... fucking Ass-hat!"

Melu glanced nervously between the seething Tai and the group of passersby who watched the two women with growing concern and interest. It was almost time to head back for lunch and they still had no luck finding Feng. Melu quickly learned that the more frustrated Tai became, the more vulgar she was. For the sake of those in hearing distance, the elf tried desperately to quiet her friend.

"I'm starving! Whatever, that guy wants to hide all day, he can! Let's go back," Tai huffed, grabbing the elf's had and leading her toward the park.

_But he didn't have breakfast either, _Melu remembered with concern. Her eyes cast around again, hoping that maybe this time she would catch a glimpse of the elusive young man.

"Tai Liredan? What are you doing?"

††††

††††

Feng glanced at gifts in his arms. He still wasn't entirely sure about them, but after all the hoops he jumped through to get them, if Melu decided she didn't like them... Feng was just going to admit himself into the nearest asylum and be done with it.

_But not before I beat some sense into _this _guy, _the rogue thought irritably. Using a widow's reflection he glanced at the hooded figure behind him. The mystery man had been following him since the Trade District. Now that he was already halfway to his mother's house, Feng knew it was high time he lost his newfound stalker.

"Feng! What a surprise! Wow, you have so much stuff, are those gifts for someone? Your mom, maybe?" Feng bit back a curse as Felice came skipping up to him. She really did have the worst timing. He knew he could lose the veiled man, no problem, but now the stranger had seen Felice. If the rogue managed to lose him now, there was still a chance the creep would try to bother Felice. Judging by the demented grin on his half-hidden face, that is exactly what would happen.

_Damn, how is it she always causes me so much trouble, just by saying hello? _Feng sighed. Remembering that the warlock had asked him a question, he replied, "No."

"Oh, your sisters, then?" She wondered, a coy smile playing on her lips.

Feng paused. It wouldn't be good if anyone in town found out he was buying gifts for a traitor of the Horde. He was never above lying if it meant avoiding drama and possible trouble with the law.

"Yeah." Was that stalker still there? Yeah. A few paces back, the stranger sat leisurely on a bench, watching Feng and Felice with an amused smile. The rogue suddenly felt like he was trapped in someone else's puppet show. A wave of anger washed over him. _Ok, lose Felice and deal with this guy and for the love of all that's holy, don't lose the gifts. Actually, maybe I can get Felice to hold them for me. That sounds like a plan._

The Desdemona woman interrupted his thoughts with a gentle tug of his arm. "Hey, Feng, I don't mean to sound like a wimp, but that guy's been staring at us for quite a while. He's creeping me out," she whispered, pointing to the man. The pair stared at him and he smiled creepily in return. "Ugh, what a freak," Felice whined, rubbing her arms.

Feng nodded. "I noticed him a while ago, he's been following me."

The warlock's expression hardened at this. "What? Why? Do you think it has anything to do with that blood elf? _Definitely _more trouble than she's worth, if you ask me."

"There's no way to know for sure, not without asking our friend there."

Felice paused, tapping a finger to her chin. She perked up suddenly, clapping her hands together. "Ah, I have a great idea! Follow me!"

††††

††††

"What are you talking about?" Tai asked as she turned to face Sorin properly. Was this some sort of joke?

The blonde mage turned away, as if about to leave. His whole posture nervous. "I heard you were assigned to a job in Stranglethorn. Things have gotten real bad down there, you know. I thought you already left, that's why I asked," he said.

Tai frowned. She hadn't heard anything about a reassignment, and even if it were true, why not Feng? He was much better than she was. Then again, maybe the situation in the vale had more need for holy strength than deadly stealth.

"I've never been on a mission outside of the city before," Sorin continued, his expression suddenly worried. "Will you get in trouble for being late like this?"

She sighed. _Damn. There has been trouble in Stranglethorn recently. My guarding duties have been pretty much don't-ask-don't-tell, so most of the higher ups in charge of the missions don't know _I'm _the one guarding Melu. _A part of Tai always laughed at that thought, considering she and the elf went out to walk around the city every day. She might as well broadcast not only her job, but her opinion on the matter, but sometimes some people still didn't get it.

_There's a chance I really did get assigned to the vale, so if I'm late, I'm in trouble. _Tai glanced at Melu who had politely stepped out of earshot to look at some fabrics on display. _Then again, if it's just a misunderstanding and I leave, I'll get in trouble. Either way, I'm screwed. _She scowled. _Fine then, I'll just do it quickly._

She had the feeling that Sorin was either wrong or lying, but regardless of that fact, she was still obligated to report to this fake duty. The road to Stranglethorn Vale was a long one due to the feral worgen and undead in Duskwood and the rough terrain and trolls in Stranglethorn. But that wasn't going to stop her. Melu was her friend, and she wasn't going to risk losing her to the Harvester just because of some paperwork fuck up.

"Alright," Tai all but growled. Whirling on her heel, she strode up to Melu with a determined look. The elf watched her with a curious expression.

"Five!" She declared, holding up five fingers for emphasis. Her friend tilted her head in confusion, but didn't say anything as Tai continued. "Five days! I'll be gone for that long, but I'll be back, I promise." She rested her hands on her hips and sent a small glare toward Sorin. She knew it wasn't his fault, but she wasn't a very firm believer in 'don't shoot the messenger.'

"Ah, ok," Melu said, nodding. Tai knew the sin'dorei didn't really understand what was happening, but unfortunately, if Tai planned on making the deadline she set for herself, she had to leave immediately.

"Then let's head back," the paladin suggested and walked away from the shops, Melu falling into step beside her. Tai threw an exasperated look toward Sorin as the young man continued to follow them. He noticed the glare but said nothing. _This whole day is turning out really weird, _the eldest Liredan daughter thought to herself. Although she couldn't put her finger on it, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that something terrible was going to happen. _Just five days, _she tried to reassure herself. _Whatever it is, it can wait five day 'til I get back._

††††

††††

Sorin was sweating bullets as the small group walked through the Magic Quarters. A part of him was ecstatic that he was able to be close to the blood elf, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the reason he was there in the first place. _That's right, I have to spot Felice and Feng before we pass them. Where did she say she'd be? _Minutely his head swiveled left and right, searching for the pair.

The mage's attention was caught as Tai whispered something to the nearby guard who nodded in return. She turned to Melusina.

"Sorry, Melu, but I gotta hurry. You're almost home anyway, the guards are just gonna walk you the rest of the way." Tai cast Sorin a dubious look. He tried to give her his most convincing smile.

"Don't worry, I'll stay with her too and make sure she gets home safe." He had no idea where Tai lived, but he assumed the guards knew the way at least.

Tai sighed, but didn't argue, instead she turned back to Melu. "Alright, I'll be back in a few days," she said before jogging off into the crowd. The elf waved to her friend's retreating back. She turned to Sorin with a shy smile that made him melt inside.

_No, wait. I need to find Felice and Feng, right. _Dragging his eyes away from the elf with difficulty, he continued his search for any sign of the warlock or the rogue.

_There! _By a small stroke of luck, he spotted Feng in the alley to his left. _I can't believe I have to do this, _Sorin thought with disgust, but being accused of the worst crime imaginable left him with few options.

"Ah... Isn't that Feng?" Sorin murmured weakly. A part of him wished that maybe Melusina wouldn't hear him, so at least he would have an excuse later. _"Hey I tried, but the streets were so packed, she just couldn't hear me." _Yeah, Felice couldn't blame him for that. It seemed that fate was against him that day. Melusina glanced back at him, then toward the alley way.

Sorin felt his heart break as Melu's face fell with realization at the scene in front of her. Feng wasn't alone in the alley, by absolutely no means. Pressed against the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist was Felice. Neither of the two "lovers" paid any attention to their audience as they attempted t devour eachother's lips. Sorin knew this was the scene he would be walking in on. This was all part of that stranger's well-thought out plan: Felice would cast a sort of mind-control charm that would make Feng fall in love with her. Tyrrell had to admit, he was mildly curious how she managed any sort of mind-control trick, since those sort of spells were more of a priest's forte. Then again, he shouldn't doubt Felice's determination to get into Feng's pants. The girl's succubus was most likely somehow involved in this little enchantment.

"I...ah." Sorin winced and glanced at Melusina. Tears brimmed the blood elf's eyes, lips gapping as she fought to find her voice. She held her trembling fists in front of her chest as if to help hold in the sobs she undoubtedly felt coming. Sorin felt lower than dirt just looking at her. How could he do this to her? How could he actually go along with this? Just because Felice threatened to start a _rumor? _Screw that. Sorin opened his mouth to speak, but a voice from the alley way interrupted him.

"Feng, why'd you st-"

"Melu?"

The two mages looked up at Feng as he stared at them in bewilderment. Then, after a moment, he turned to Felice, his eyes no longer cloudy and clearly wondering what was going on. _Did Felice's charm wear off already? That was fast. _The warlock stared at Feng, stupefied, as his expression suddenly darkened. _Oh damn, he's sharp. I think he's already figured out what Felice did. _Sorin suddenly felt the increasing need to flee. He wouldn't put it past Felice to blame everything on him.

The rogue turned away slowly and bent down to pick up the discarded box nearby.

"Feng, wha-" Melu swallowed, fighting back the tears. "What's going on?" For the umpteenth time in his life, Sorin felt a sharp pang of jealousy toward the eldest Liredan. The black haired man stood there silently and for a moment Sorin thought that maybe he wouldn't answer.

"Nothing! Don't ask stupid questions," Feng snapped. Melu wilted, tears now flowing freely down her face. He seemed to instantly regret his words, but didn't say any sort of apology. Of course not, the words 'I'm sorry' were completely foreign to Feng Liredan.

_I hate that guy, _Sorin thought, shaking with anger.

"R-right," Melu stuttered, her voice choking. Feng winced and turned to face her completely, but seemed to lose his will to speak as his eyes landed on her. "S-sorry to... to bother you." Ignoring everyone else, Melu ran out of the alley and down the street. The guards followed close behind, though they also tried to appear casual about it. Two city guards chasing after a member of the Horde, that would undoubtedly send the people into a frenzy. _Oh Light, I should try to slow her down, _Sorin panicked. But before that, he had a few words for the rogue. Whirling around, he found both still there, Feng out of it as the weight of the situation sank in, and Felice still trying to seduce him.

"You know, you're a real piece of work, Liredan," Sorin snarled. Felice reacted first, whirling around a screeching hateful but meaningless insults at him. Feng simply stood there, watching him with an unreadable expression. The mage was on a roll now and didn't plan on stopping any time soon. "First you capture her, taking her from her homeland, then you 'save' her only because you guilty conscience was too much for you to bear. And after all, you turn around and hurt her again. She would have been better off if you had just left her alone in the first place!"

Sorin was quite proud of himself. With each passing word, Feng's expression darkened, it was quite clear he was pissing the rogue off. He had many other things he was going to say, many _clever _things. However, before he had a chance to even form the next word, Feng covered the distance between them and delivered a swift punched to Sorin's nose, effectively knocking the mage out.

Oh well, he won this round, but maybe next time.

††††

††††

Feng cursed, turning away from Sorin's prone form and once again gathering his discarded things. It almost seemed pointless giving all these gifts to Melu now. She definitely hated him. Why'd he have to go and say it like _that? _He didn't mean to sound like an ass. He had meant more of a _'that's just stupid, Melu. Of course nothing happened, I was tricked, so it's not important. Don't worry about it! Just trust me.' _Why didn't the words come out like that? Instead, his voice was strained from his pent up rage and confusion at the situation. and the misguided rage was aimed at the last person he wanted to upset.

Why did he wake up lip-locked with Felice? He couldn't even remember the girl's last name, so he could hardly imagine kissing her in a skeezy place like an alley. Then again he couldn't really picture touching her like that at all. _But apparently it happened,_ he thought irritably.

"Feng, where are you going? Weren't we having fun?" Felice asked with a sickeningly sweet tone, she wrapped her arms around his, pressing her breasts into his biceps.

_I don't know what the hell she did, but this is _her _fault. _With every ounce of his fury, he glared down at the warlock. Women like her were dangerous, they never knew when to stop.

"Let's make something clear, Feliciana." She pouted at the use of her full name, which made Feng's scowl deepen. "You need to learn that there's a line you just don't cross. Controlling people's mind and body is morally wrong and disgusting. If I see you near my family or my charge, I'll make you regret it." Even after what she had done, he didn't really like threatening women with violence, but he hoped his tone carried enough anger that the warlock might take him seriously.

Felice retreated a step, shocked by his words. "It's not my fault," She cried defensively. "It's-"

Feng stepped toward her, invading her personal space and effectively silencing her. He wasn't surprised that she tried to toss the blame onto someone else, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't pissed. Could her mind not even grasp what she had just done?

"I don't care," he growled. "This is your last warning: Stay away."

††††

††††

Melu cried harder than she had in years. The last time her throat hurt this much from the sobbing was when Remiel said he was leaving for Undercity. Immediately after reaching the Liredan's house, she ran inside, hiding her face from Yan-Yu and the children who looked up from the lunch in surprise. She locked herself in her bedroom and remained there the rest of the day.

This wasn't right. Why did she care who Feng was with? He was a man of the Alliance. She had no right to feel this way toward him. Then again, did she actually like the rogue, or was she responding to his sudden friendliness toward her. She had been with Feng and Tai for weeks now, she had seen neither hide nor hair of another member of the Horde since the loss of her comrades in Ashenvale. Maybe the lack of a familiar face was forcing her to seek companionship in the two she had been with the longest. The thought made Melu cry harder.

If her feelings were simply a figment of her imagination, then was Feng's behavior also nothing more than her own wishful thinking? Did he really look at her the way she thought he did? Had he really smiled at her so tenderly all those times? Or was it simply a polite muscle response. What she saw in the alley way certain seemed to say so.

_It isn't fair, why does it have to be _him_ of all people? _Melu curled up in a ball, hugging a pillow to her sobbing face. Outside, she could hear Yan-Yu gently tapping on the door, asking permission to enter. She scoffed in bewilderment as she thought, _Asking for permission to enter a prisoner's cell. These people are strange. _Her mind wandered over the past few weeks. Tai was the first Alliance to speak civilly to her. Feng was the first to save her. Yan-Yu treated her more kindly than Melu's own mother did. Winters... Melu would never understand the reasons why she jumped through so many hoops for her. Thelrien clearly didn't like the sin'dorei, but he was opening up to her. Melu had wanted to keep trying, until she was able to comfortably ask him about his own life. Benji, Ana, Dom, she played with them more than she ever did with anyone in Silvermoon. It was almost as if they all had forgotten she was a blood elf. But how could they? With her long ears and glowing eyes, it was impossible to forget.

_Yes, they're strange, _she thought decidedly. _Then again, I suppose I'm the worst, for getting so comfortable here. Not only am I Horde, I'm a damned traitor. I don't belong anywhere. _She suddenly went from being hurt by Feng, to angry and upset with herself.

"Ugh, what am I doing here? I'm so stupid," Melu whimpered. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her, glancing behind her to the window, she realized the sun was setting and she had been crying all afternoon. Deciding to put off her pain until tomorrow, Melu closed her eyes and let sleep take over.

The next morning came too soon for the mage. Her eyes felt heavy and her throat sore from crying. For a blissful moment, she allowed herself to think that yesterday had been nothing more than a bad dream, but then her eyes settled on a cardboard box and two brightly colored bags beside her bed. Her heart shriveled up with dread as she realized that Feng had been carrying those when she saw him. _Why are they in here? _She wondered. Leaning over, she gently brushed the lid off the box.

Her eyes widened as they were met with a pair of smaller golden eyes. The calico kitten watched her expectantly as if to say, _'about time you opened that thing. It was dark in here.' _She held her fingers out to the small furball, letting it smell her and rub it's face against her. She glanced at the two bags, peeking inside she found a white skirt and a sky blue blouse. She also discovered a set of floral themed silver bracelets and earrings. _Why are these here? _She wondered, picking up the kitten and setting it on her lap. Tears welled up in her eyes. _I don't understand... I just don't understand anymore! _Was Feng angry with her or trying to apologize? Was _she _angry with him, or sorry? She didn't know. Nothing made sense.

A small part of her wished she could go back to the day Feng captured her. At least back then everything was still black and white. Melu sniffled, holding the small cat close. She wouldn't leave the room today either. She was a little pissed that Feng had snuck in while she was sleeping, even if it was to leave her presents. Normally she didn't like people seeing her when she couldn't see them, but for once, she didn't mind. Melu wanted to see just how long she could put off seeing that damned rogue.


	16. Light

**There's been some editing in this due to the slight plot change in the next chapter, so be sure to re-read! And if you don't feel like reading the whole thing again, just skip down to the walk in Old Town.  
**

**Feel free to review.**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng Liredan, Haphaestus, Tai, Thelrien, Sorin, Dahlia Winters, Shoshan, Felice and Solarian belong to me (Envious Casca).**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Light.**

On the outskirts of Goldshire, some Darkmoon carnies shamelessly eavesdropped on a rising argument.

"We're here! We're right outside the damned gates and I know you've already been in and out of the city several times already. So, _why _can't we just go in there and save Melu already?" Haphaestus demanded, following closely after Shoshan. The draenei scurried away, hands over her ears.

"Do you realize what will happen to your cousin if we fail? It's not that simple," Toxi tried to reason. The small rescue party had arrived in Elwynn forest a few days ago and all the waiting created a very impatient and irritated blood elf.

"If you're not going to help me, I'll just save her by myself!" he cried, storming out of the tent, scattering the nearby Darkmoon workers.

"Wait!" Shoshan called. He ignored her and secured a scarf around his face and elven ears.

"Fool!" Zamu whispered harshly. "It's not his ears he needs to hide, it's his eyes!" The three women chased after him, silently begging he go unnoticed by the guards. In low voices they tried to coax him back as he crossed the busy town. Traveling up the dirt road toward the city, Shoshan spotted a commotion up ahead.

"Stop where you are! You're not going anywhere, monster!"

"Ha! Try as you might, vile human, I _will _rescue the fair maiden from your evil clutches!" The flabbergasted group watched as a lone blood elf stood confidently against an entire party of soldiers.

_Is he an idiot? _Haphaestus wondered. A part of him wanted to run to his sin'dorei brother's aid, but his survival instincts held him rooted in place.

"Tremble in awe, inferiors! For I am Dirven the Invincible!" The paladin charged forward and instantly got knocked flat on his back. Dirven yelped but tried to cover it up as a laugh. "Ha! Ok, lucky shot. Now, I'll get- Ouch! Wait, I twisted something! Uncle! Agh!"

It was like watching a zepplin crash. He knew he should either help the elf or leave, but he simply stood and watched. A small part of him found this Dirven fellow's personality so irritating he was almost rooting for the guards. Haphaestus nearly jumped out of his skin as Shoshan slapped a hand to his shoulder, urging him forward.

"This might work in our favor, move it pretty boy!" Zamu whispered. Quietly, the foursome snuck passed the scene. They kept their eyes straight ahead as Dirven 'the Invincible' tried to wrestle free from the dog pile.

"Mommy!" he whimpered.

"Oh fer the love of all that's Holy, someone shut this elf up!" one of the Stormwind soldiers hollered.

"Just keep going, act natural!" Zamu muttered, taking the lead as they entered the Valley of Heroes.

"Now, Sho, remember your job?" the warrior asked, giving her companion an even stare. Sometimes Haphaestus wondered why the draenei was even there. The two gnomes treated her like a child and it certainly didn't help that she _acted _like one. From the looks of it, she was more of a burden than anything else.

Shoshan cocked her head to the side, smiling brightly as she thought for a moment. "Hmmm- oh! No talking to strangers!" She cried in a sing-song voice and threw her hands high above her head. The twins sighed and Haphaestus stared at her as if she were insane, which she clearly was.

"Try again."

"Don't think, just smash?"

"Sho..."

"Don't capture the farm?"

"Dammit, you space-brained idiot! 'Guard the client'! How difficult is that?" Zamu snapped, losing her patience.

Shoshan tilted her head again, frowning this time.

"But I already knew that one," she said as if stating the obvious. Zamu seethed.

Haphaestus watched the draenei. Was she really that stupid or was she doing that on purpose? He couldn't tell.

"Toxi, I'm going to kill her, I swear!" the gnome cried. The green haired priest comforted her sister.

"There, there. When we get back, we'll feed her to the troll."

"Hey!" Shoshan cried, unhappy. Haphaestus continued on, having long since given up trying to understand the women. _The twins scouted the city yesterday, _the smithy thought, _according to the rumors on the street a female blood elf was released from the stockades and moved to a house on the west end of the city. _His brow furrowed. _No sin'dorei women have been caught by the Alliance recently except for Melu. So the chances of her being the one the rumors are about are high. We should start there first._

It seemed his escorts had the same idea. "Come on," Toxi beckoned. Once entering the busy trade district, they split into pairs. Haphaestus followed Shoshan as she darted down alley after alley, avoiding as many busy streets as they could.

_Hold on, Melu, _he pleaded. _I'm coming._

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Three days passed since the incident in the alleyway. Tai was still in Stranglethorn until who knows when. The days passed uneventfully. She would wake up, help Yan-Yu with breakfast, play with the children until Thelrien arrived, then study for the rest of the day. A whiny meow snatched the elf's attention away from her books. The calico kitten, whom she tentatively named Lamp, decided she was quite bored. The little furball had discarded her toy and now watched Melu expectantly.

_He bought me a cat, _she thought to herself in awe, stroking the animal's soft fur. Lamp purred loudly, collapsing to the ground with a delighted 'thump'. Melu smiled but the gesture quickly twisted into a scowl as her mind wandered to darker thoughts. _And then he went and made out with that wretched girl in the middle of a street. Who does that? By the Sunwell, why do I even care?_ She paused. _But then... Because..._

Yes, because of that.

Because she loved him. The elf glowed with warmth at the thought, but quickly deflated. Her feelings didn't change the situation. Once again she was reminded that she was a Horde prisoner in an Alliance capitol, not only that, but Feng was her captor. She had finally been awakened to how she felt toward the rogue only to find out she could never voice her feelings aloud. At least, not without endangering him and maybe even the rest of the Liredan's.

It wasn't fair. Who was the genius who decided the Horde and Alliance had to be enemies? Melu wasn't sure who she hated more, the world for not getting along, or Fate not making her a Human.

_And there's still that warlock, _she thought with a scowl. Feng still had yet to properly explain himself. She couldn't honestly say she was still mad at the man, but she wished he would at least tell her what really happened. Instead, Melu was left alone to fester a growing dislike for the human woman.

She wanted to forget the whole thing, forget that girl. She wanted to be mad, be a bitch to him.

...No, not really.

What she wanted most of all was for him to apologize so she could forgive him already. She never fought with Remiel or Haphaestus like this. Who knew it would be so tiring to hold a grudge? A small part of Melu still reminded her that Feng was Alliance, caring for him was traitorous at best. The Sin'dorei would never accept her back into their society if her feelings were discovered. However with each passing day with him, his smile, his laugh, his touch, that fact started to matter less and less.

"Where do I go from here?" she wondered. Lamp blinked her large golden eyes at her owner as if to say, '_Really? I'm fluffy and cute, but I'm not a miracle worker.'_

Melu sighed and closed the heavy tome. No point in reading now, her mind was too cluttered with thoughts of the passed few days. She rose from her chair and headed toward the kitchen. Thelrien and Yan-Yu looked up from their conversation and the high elf frowned.

"Done with your studies already? Perhaps I should test you now instead of tomorrow."

Melu blushed, bowing her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, maginor, I'm having a hard time focusing today." Thelrien's frown deepened. She knew what he would say next, it was the same thing he always said whenever she tried to lighten her studying work-load. This sort of half-assed attitude was why she was a half-assed fire mage, she didn't want to repeat the process with her frost magic, did she? No, she didn't, which was why she tried to force herself to read the books he gave her, despite her spacey behavior. But after 50 pages into the tome she realized she hadn't absorbed any of the information and was forced to read it again and again before finally giving up. The maginor sighed.

"You have had some very trying days. You have been making great leaps and bounds with your frost magic, despite the levels of stress you've been under, but I suppose I can't expect you to keep this up day in and day out. The rest of the afternoon off wouldn't hurt... but I expect you to have those pages read tomorrow!" Thelrien said with a dismissive wave before walking away. Melu watched him stop at the door and look back at her. "Well? I assume you wish to get some fresh air, don't make me wait, young one." Melu perked up, smiling gratefully.

"Yes, thank you!" Slipping on her shoes, she followed Thelrien out the door with a small wave goodbye to Yan-Yu.

For a while, the two elves walked in silence, occasionally stopping by a store or two. Finally, Thelrien broke the silence, "It would appear something's been troubling you." Melu tensed, glancing at her teacher. "I also noticed that you first started dragging yourself around the house like a corpse when the young man began avoiding you." Melu bit her lip, nervously playing with the silver bracelet on her wrist.

"It's nothing," she mumbled. Thelrien gave her a dry look.

"Hardly," he replied. She wasn't getting out of this one. Melu let out a mental groan. Having a heart-felt discussion about awkward love situations with her teacher was _not _on her list of things to do _ever._

"I just... saw something I wish I hadn't," she said. There were other things on her mind as well, but she hoped he would let her leave it at that.

"And what do you plan on doing about it?" He asked. Melu scoffed bitterly, catching the maginor by surprise.

"What can I do? I'm a Horde prisoner in an Alliance capitol where I have to watch everything I do and everything I say. I'm powerless. I can't even express myself without fearing what might happen to me or those around me." Thelrien frowned but said nothing, waiting for her to continue. As Melu marveled at the bracelet her eyes cast a far off look, her mind wandering toward the past. "You know what the other kids called me? Melusina the Wallflower. The ugly little vine that clung to walls or other flowers. It couldn't stand on it's own and never stood out. A burden and an ugly disgrace." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Maybe that's why I can't talk to Feng. I don't want him to know what I'm really like. I'm such a failure, yet for so long I had always carried a little of the Sunveil pride. How stupid is that? How could anyone be proud of this?" Melu motioned down at herself. "I'm so hideous."

"Enough." Melu looked up at Thelrien, her jaw dropped in shock. The maginor glared down at her, eyes blazing furiously. She had never seen him so angry before. She trembled fearfully, what had she done wrong?

_Talking so much, that's what you did wrong, stupid idiot. Who wants to hear you babble about your trivial problems? Just keep them to yourself! _She winced. How could she whine like that to him? And after he had been so kind to her that afternoon. She had to apologize.

"Not one more word, young lady, or I will turn you into a sheep and make you listen in silence," he growled and Melu's mouth closed with a snap. Satisfied with her response, he continued. "Ugly? Shy? A burden? Is that what you think the wallflower is? What you think _you_ are? Let me tell you something. While all the other blossoms face the sun, content to simply bathe in it's warmth, the wallflower seeks something more. It is the only one to take that step forward, toward the sky. To reach out to the sun and taste something none of the other flowers will ever be able to understand until they too step out of the garden."

Melu stared at the ground. "So I'm an ambitious fool."

"A fool? Hardly. Ambitious, perhaps. Ambition, curiousity... courage. The ability to break away from the herd, strive for something more, something better. You went against your family's traditions and became a mage and look at where you are now. Yes, you are in Stormwind, but compare yourself to other prisoners of war. Are you really that bad off? Don't ever regret the choices you make. You are not a burden, Melusina Sunveil. Never spew such asininity again."

Fat tears rolled down the blood elf's face as she tried to hold back from throwing herself in the maginor's arms and crushing him to death. No one, not even Haphaestus or Remiel had ever said something so kind to her. Melu's heart felt like it would burst. Thelrien seemed visually perturbed by her tears.

"Why are you crying? Do you always cry when someone compliments you?"

"N-no," She mewled, rubbing her eyes furiously. Thelrien glanced around with a knowing sense of dread. Almost everyone in the busy street was staring at them. He sighed and softly nudged Melu to get her walking again. There was no helping it. The girl was the center of attention wherever she went.

A sharp whistle sang through the air. "Oooh, well well well, if it isn't my lucky day! Hey, pretty elf girl, wanna have some fun?" Before Melu or Thelrien could even turn around there was the sound of a fist connecting with flesh and a crash landing.

"Have some class, Dean, just let these two walk in peace."

_Oh! _That voice. She turned around and found Feng staring at her with an equally surprised expression. Apparently he didn't really look before jumping to her rescue. _When did we get to Old Town? I didn't even notice. _Her eyes turned to Thelrien, but the high elf had his back to her, inspecting "Dean."

"Melu." Her heart skipped at the sound of her name. "There you are. What are you doing here? This end of the city is dangerous."

The mage paused. What should she say? She remembered how her mother and aunts would fight with others. Her mother would refuse to speak to the one she was angry with, except for the occasional bitchy reply, until the other party apologized. However, Melu wasn't good at that whole 'rude' thing and knew she would only succeed in making a complete ass of herself.

She crossed her arms, a sudden rush of self-consciousness welling up inside of her. "I went on a walk with Maginor Thelrien," she supplied lamely.

"I know, I came looking for you," he replied, watching her. "I was just curious since Old Town isn't on your usual route, considering the fact it's full of murderers and thieves."

Melu's lips turned downward in the barest of frowns. Why was _he _so calm and collected when she felt so anxious and all over the place? How was that fair? Did he even _realize _what he was doing to her? After a quick glance-over, she realized her original assessment was wrong. The rogue stood stiffly, his arms constantly switching positions. He seemed nervous and hesitant to speak. _Probably because I'm just standing here staring at him! Oh, I'm such a creep. _Melu cringed and fought the strong urge to hide her face in her hands.

Thelrien took advantage of the silence. "Good job with this Dean fellow, young mr. Feng. Now I'll feel much more at ease when I leave her in your hands."

The two looked at Thelrien in confusion.

"What? What do you mean? When?" Melu asked.

"Right now," he replied. Before she could protest he continued. "I've just received an urgent call, there's a meeting I must attend. So, Feng, you must escort ms. Melusina for the rest of the day."

"An urgent call?" Melusina asked skeptically. Thelrien smiled. The blood elf may not be the best mage, but she was good enough to sense an incoming summons via magical means. Even if it wasn't directed at her, some fragments would still hang in the air around him. She knew he was lying and he knew she knew. But the high elf also knew she wasn't rude enough to object.

"Do you doubt me?" Melu blushed in embarrassment. She couldn't help but think he looked like the cat who ate the canary.

"N-no," she stammered and bowed her head politely. "Have a good day, Maginor Thelrien." He nodded in reply and left her with Feng and the two guards.

The rogue stepped up beside her tentatively. "So... Where would you like to go now?"

"Uh.. I don't know," she mumbled, glancing at the guards. Somehow being around Feng felt a thousand times more awkward with an audiance. What was she supposed to say? She had to let him know she wasn't still mad at him especially after what happened, but saying it outright so suddenly with no segue felt stupid.

"Listen, Melu-"

"Lamp!" She burst out, saying the first good idea that came to mind. However, after seeing Feng's utterly confused expression she immediately regretted even learning the Common language. "Ah, well, the cat- kitten. I named her Lamp. She's very energetic. Just... so you know..." Melu's voice died away and she stared at her shoes, blushing furiously. That was possibly the most lame attempt at a conversation ever. Sure, she had initially planned to aim topic toward their fight, but _still. _She could have come up with something better than Lamp.

A warm chuckle floated to her ears. The elf tried in vain to ignore both her blushing face and her fluttering heart and look Feng in the eye properly.

"You named her Lamp?" He said, "So, you like it, huh? That's good, I wasn't sure whether you were really a cat-person or not."

Melu nodded, smiling. "Yes, I like small animals."

Feng gave her a teasing look. "But why 'lamp'?" The blush came back full-force and she walked away briskly, trying to keep her face hidden.

"Why not? Nothing wrong with it!" She replied indignantly. Feng grinned. Damn him, her face was never going to go back to normal at this rate.

"No, no there's nothin' wrong with it. I was just curious," he answered. Melu frowned. She _did _have a particular reason for naming the kitten Lamp, but it seemed silly. Feng raised his eyebrows at her, silently beseeching her to let him in on her seemingly unorthodox naming process.

Melu rolled her eyes. "Nothing special. Lamps light the way."

The rogue gave her an odd look. "What, so you don't get lost?"

She smiled. "Yes. To remind me of the path I've chosen."

Feng cast a quizzical glance. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a few drunks as they were thrown onto the street by more angry looking drunks.

"Whaddya say 'bout me, bastard? Say it to my face. I'll slit yer throat!" One of the standing drunks shouted.

"I didn't say _anything _to or about you! But if you're itching for a fight..." one of the others growled, stumbling to his feet. "I'll give it to you!" As the two groups lunged forward, Feng turned to the guards.

"Help separate these idiots, we'll be right here." The pair of soldiers nodded before entering the frey. Feng guided the elf a safe distance away from the commotion, hidden away so that no one would misunderstand the situation and blame the blood elf.

"Melu." She looked up at the sound of her name. Feng was watching her, his expression serious. "I know this isn't the best time, but I don't know the next chance I'll get and I just- I just wanted to say_-" _Melu watched as his words died on his lips and his face suddenly went slack. She frowned. Was there someone behind her? She glanced over her shoulder. In the alley way was a lone draenei woman, making her way toward the pair. Melu grit her teeth and determinedly planted herself between the alien and Feng.

"Feng?" She asked, unable to hide the scared tremor in her voice. He continued to stare blankly.

"It would seem your friend has fallen prey to mind control, Lady Sunveil."

"Oh? An educated guess I imagine?" Melu snarled, turning to look at the new arrival. As her eyes landed on him, she felt the color drain from her face and her arms drop limply to her sides. The man smiled smugly at her a he removed the hood of his cloak. Muted green eyes, long blonde hair, ears mutilated. There were small differences about him since she last saw him, but she could still pick him out from a crowd. Solarian.

The disguised blood elf hummed pleasantly. "Hmmm, if you don't want to believe me, that's fine. But it doesn't change the fact that you're alone." His smile suddenly turned cruel as he said, "There's no one here to save you." Solarian reached for her, his hand glowing with holy energy. Melu felt a whoosh of air behind her. The draenei was charging.

_Ha, _Melu thought bitterly. _I don't know who you are, but you're too slow. He'll get me first. _Her eyes met Solarian's. _How ironic that he's the one to kill me. He's the one who started all this, he might as well finish it._

Melu gasped as she was tackled to the ground. Panicking, she thrashed with all her might to get out from underneath the person on top of her, or at the very least, see who it was.

"Ms. Melusina! Stay down!" The blonde stranger cried before looking up to find Solarian. A dark blur flew over them and with a tremendous crash, the draenei's war maul destroyed the cobblestone road where her enemy had stood moment's before. Looking around frantically, the draenei grinned triumphantly as she spotted Solarian retreating passed the brawl and into the tavern. She followed him.

_What's going on? Why's Solarian here? _Melu wondered in bewilderment. Looking around she found Feng being hauled to his feet by Felice. She glared at Melu and the human mage.

"Dammit, Sorin, can't _you _carry Feng? I'm not strong enough and we need to hurry!"

Sorin turned to her with a scoff. "What's the matter? I thought you would use any excuse to be close to your little boyfriend."

Felice blushed. "Shut up! You make me sound like a creep. I already said, we need to hurry and I can't carry him, so man the fuck up!" He glared at the foul-mouthed warlock, but obliged, leaving Melu's side to wrap Feng's arm over his shoulder. Felice was in Melu's face instantly, grabbing her arm and hauling the blood elf to her feet roughly.

"Move it! We risked our lives to save you, so you better move, or I'll leave you here!"

That snapped Melu out of her daze. "R-right!" She said, quickly following the two humans down the busy street. She glanced behind her, no Solarian or draenei in sight. "How did you two know he was going to hurt me? How did he get here? Is the draenei your friend? What's going on?"

"Enough!" Felice snapped. "We'll explain when we get to Feng's house. For now, just run! We can't let that psycho catch up to us, who knows what he'll do!"

Melu shivered. _I've got a pretty good idea._

††††

††††

Shoshan kicked a pebble despondently as she reconvened with the others. Haphaestus paced anxiously and the twins wore identically confused expressions as they walked up to meet her.

"What happened?" Toxi asked, looking up passed her companion expectantly. Where was the elf girl?

"I started the brawl in the tavern, Toxi mind-controlled the rogue, but what happened after that? And where'd Melusina go?" Zamu piped in. The gnome sisters were equally perturbed by Shoshan's grim expression. The draenei was almost always smiling. A frown on the bubbly paladin's face didn't bode well for anyone.

"I checked inside the tavern," she began slowly. The trio frowned.

"Why would Melu be in the tavern when there's a fight going on in there?" Haphaestus asked.

Shoshan shook her head. "I wasn't looking for her."

The blood elf fumed. "What? You're supposed to-" He was cut off as the draenei gave him an even stare.

"We have a problem."

††††

††††

"So let me get this straight," Feng growled, having just woken up moments ago. "While I was under some sort of spell, Melu was almost killed by a blood elf? Not only that but he blackmailed the two of you into helping him."

"Right," Felice gasped as they ran down the street, the group had made it to the park and the house was already peeking into sight. "I don't know why or how that spell was cast on you. I don't think the blood elf did it, as far as I know, he's working alone."

"Except for you two."

"We were blackmailed!" she cried. Melu shook her head as Feng rolled his eyes, both ignoring the warlock.

"Shit," he cursed as they crossed the park. "This isn't good. We gotta find that maginor and Winters. Gotta get rid of this guy before anyone notices or else Melu's back with the Harvester." The elf stumbled at the sound of her tormentor's name. Feng skid to a halt, grabbing Felice and Sorin. "You two go find them. Sorin, you look for Maginor Thelrien, he said something about a meeting earlier today, you know where to look?" The young man nodded once before blinking away. "Felice, you go to the Stockades and ask for Interrogator Winters, say that I sent you and it's an emergency." Felice huffed, clearly unhappy at being ordered to leave, but didn't argue. Summoning her felsteed, she sped away in a flurry of fiery hooves and ash.

Feng turned to Melu. The elf was pale, her hair in a disarray from running and her lip trembled with fear. His stomach dropped. Without realizing it the rogue's hand reached out and brushed the loose strands of hair from Melu's face before resting on her cheek. He felt her muscles relax beneath his touch. She had been through so much already, her life was finally beginning to look up. Now this? She didn't deserve this. For Light's sake, he couldn't think of a single person who _did _deserve such a flood of bad luck. Except the Harvester. And that guy from the boat.

Gleeful laughter drifted through the Liredan's front door, interrupting Feng's train of thought.

"I told her I'd be back in five days, and instead here I am in three! I'm a beast!"

_Tai, _Feng realized, relief washing over him, for once completely unfazed by his sister's obnoxious crowing. It would be a thousand times easier to protect Melu now that Tai was home. He pushed open the door.

They were greeted by the jovial laughter of the Liredan women and children. It felt strange and upside down to be escaping from a life or death situation to this peaceful scene.

"Oh, hey you two, look! Tai's back!" Yan-Yu smiled, patting her eldest daughter's head. Tai grinned happily.

"I'm back!" She parroted.

Feng scoffed gently. Despite what almost happened to Melu- what _could _happen to her- his family still managed to always make the worst of things seem insignificant. Judging by the warm smile on Melu's face she felt the same way. The rogue shook his head. Now was not the time to relax. That guy was still out there.

He turned to the huntress first. "Mom, why don't you take those three to visit dad's old friend Steve at the Cathedral? I ran into him today and he mentioned that it's been so long that he hasn't seen these three since they were babies. You guys should go."

Tai and Yan-Yu stared at him in skeptical bewilderment. He knew that every word out of his mouth right then was bullshit. He never mentioned his dad, his friends or stepped foot in Cathedral Square, given the option. Anyone who knew that would know that he was lying, but it didn't matter, he just needed the little kids and his mother out of the house.

Yan-Yu's eyes narrowed suspiciously but accepted the lie. A bright smile was plastered on her face as quickly and as naturally as only a mother could do.

"Oh that's right!" she said before looking down at the trio. "Do you guys want to visit Mr. Steve? You probably don't remember him, you haven't seen him since you were babies. You should show him how big you've gotten."

That sold them. Anna and Dom bounced excitedly at the prospect of a trip away from the house. Benji puffed up like a proud rooster at being called 'big'. The mother called Shing to her side and the group quickly departed. Yan-Yu sent her son and daughter a worried glance and muttered, "Be careful," before shutting the door behind her.

Feng turned to Tai who scowled at her brother. "You totally ruined the good atmosphere, _brother dear,_" she said, with a sarcastic emphasis.

"Hate me later, we have a problem," he replied before explaining what happened earlier.

"Seriously?" Tai shrieked, her voice almost drowning out the knock at the door. Feng sent his sister a warning glare. She scowled and continued- whispering this time, _"Please, _tell me this is some sort of sick joke!"

"It's not, why do you think I sent Mom to the Cathedral? Stay beside Melu, we can't let our guard down." The paladin nodded grimly and stepped away from her brother's heels to position herself beside the quivering blood elf. Satisfied, Feng turned and open the door, greeted by the sight of four irritated yet relieved faces.

"Oh, thank the Light!" Winters breathed as Feng stepped aside to let them in.

"We were worried when you didn't answer right away," Sorin added, closing the door behind him. Felice left her voidwalker outside to guard the door.

"What, none of you heard Tai shouting at the top of her lungs a second ago?" the warlock grumbled, arms crossed over her chest.

Thelrien gave Felice an unamused look before responding, "As a general rule, unexplained screaming tends to make one _more _tense. Unless, of course, one were like you."

Felice whirled on the maginor. "Hey, wait a damn minute! What do you mean by 'like you'?"

Winters cleared her throat, silencing the potential argument. She glanced between each person in the room. "So... If I'm to understand what mr. Tyrrell and ms. Desdemona told me, Melusina was attacked in Old Town? That's not a safe place to begin with, so why all panic?" the priestess asked. She made herself comfortable at the kitchen table, along with Thelrien. Feng glanced at Melu. Sensing his gaze, she looked up and silently shook her head. _Yeah, didn't think she'd want to sit down. _He rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension. _Figures the only ones who know so little and can sit and relax are also the ones we're _supposed _to keep in the loop. _Feng knew that was an unfair assessment, considering Melu had been attack just that afternoon, but as he thought about it, he realized Thelrien and Winters knew far less than they probably were supposed to.

There was a long pause as everyone silently wondered who would answer the Interrogator's question. Melu? It seemed appropriate, after all, she was the target of all this misfortune. But asking her to speak and dwell on it seemed entirely inappropriate_._ She had been traumatized enough. Feng or Tai? He and his sister had both been with Melu since the beginning, but neither of them ever encountered Solarian face to face, they didn't know what they were up against. Felice or Sorin? Maybe, but did they actually know that much, or did that mad man keep them in the dark?

"I know him," Melu began softly, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "His name is Solarian Soulbrand. He..." Her fingers drifted over the pale scar crossing her face. "He gave me this scar." Rage threatened to overwhelm Feng's senses as her heard those words. Trembling at the memories, Melu continued," H-he was the same age as me, so I saw him around a lot. He was l-like the others, always mean, expectations always high. But he was also different, he was... extreme. When I became a mage, the other sin'dorei began to ingore me, but Solarian-" She took a deep breath, close to tears. "That's when everything began. W-wherever my missions took me, he wasn't far behind."

Felice quickly cut in. "He's the same age, right? So back then he would've had the same amount of training and been sent to places with the same levels of danger as you. What if he was just on the exact same missions as you?" Seeing the even stares everyone was giving her, the warlock put her hands on her hips defiantly, shifting her weight. "Look, I'm not trying to be a bitch or anything, but you can't say the guy's been following you around if there's only a possibility that it's true. You can't assume. What if he's just doing what the leaders of SIlvermoon City ask him to," She hesitated, wincing at Feng's growing anger. "Including her assassination."

"No, that's not likely." Tai intervened. "Putting aside the fact that he's a freaky-ass sonovafuck, if they had the same missions, instead of having two individuals compete for it, they would have had Melu and Solarian partner up. Which, from the sounds of it, would have been perfect for to him. Most likely he left the city with no missions. Instead he followed Melu without her, her family's or the Sin'dorei leader's consent or knowledge." She paraphrased, "He's pretty much been creeping on her since fetus-hood."

Thelrien turned to his student. "When did you last see him outside of Stormwind?"

Melu bit her lip and pondered a moment. "We both fought in the battle for Warsong Gulch."

Winters picked up where the high elf left off. "And like most, you started your training at a young age?" Melu nodded. "But even before that, he harassed you, even if not to the extreme nature it is now, correct?" Again she gently covered her scarred eye and nodded. Winters mirrored the elf's sad expression. "So, you've never actually been free from this man, have you?" Melu didn't respond, but the look on her face was enough of an answer.

Tai swallowed hard. "Damn, I was just kidding with that whole stalker comment." Feng put a hand on his sister's shoulder. Feng couldn't imagine what Melu's life had been like. Putting aside the fact that almost the entire blood elf population disapproved of her, but she also had someone following her, pressuring her since childhood. It was one thing to have a stalker who simply watched you, but it was perfectly clear that Solarian would hurt, even kill Melu if his expectations weren't met. A small hint of fear sparked in the rogue as he wondered how she survived as long as she did against that man.

Felice spoke up, rather impatiently, "Yeah, ok, we get it. She's a tortured soul. None have suffered like she has suffered. Can we focus on the psychopath trying to kill everyone, please?"

Tai gave the older girl a look. "Something tells me he's only after Melu."

Felice scoffed. "Yeah right, I wish! Sorin and I made a deal with that choppy-eared freak. I'm sure he's totally pissed we back-stabbed him and saved the elf and Feng instead. Ugh!" She dragged her hand over her face and muttered, "How did I get in this mess? I'm _way _too nice." She glared at Sorin. "This is all your fault! Wasn't this whole thing your idea, anyway?"

Sorin gave the girl a dry look, much to Feng's surprise. He didn't know either of them very well, but he suspected that (though they were undoubtedly tricked) teaming up with Solarian was Felice's brilliant plan. He also pinned Sorin as the emotional type, so when he _didn't _explode in a ball of arcane fury and instead simply stared at the girl like she lost her marbles, Feng was both shocked and amused.

"Hey! Answer me when I talk to you!" Felice cried, beating her fists on Sorin's arm.

"I'm not even going to acknowledge anything you just said," he muttered tiredly. Tai and Melu giggled at the unexpectedly snarky response.

"Ass!" the warlock seethed. She let out a sudden gasp, falling to the floor. Melu stood by uncertainly as the others hovered around the young human woman. Felice panted for breath, her face pale as she looked around wildly. "Void..." she began then tried again. "Feng, he's-"

_**Crash.**_

Glass flew everywhere as something landed heavily on it's feet next to Melu, almost knocking her to the ground. Shouts erupted all over the room as it burst with energy. Holy, fel, arcane, and frost, all of it mixing together. A boiling whirlpool of tension. But the new arrival of energy was what put Melu on her toes. holy energy, but not the calm promise of Interrogator Winters or the bursting warm embrace which Tai's magic felt like. This was different but terribly familiar. This unnatural light almost felt like the Harvester. Melu shuddered at the comparison. She gasped as the warped light came at her, wrapping around her throat before anyone in the room had time to react. A strong hand lifted her off the ground. She glared down at her assailant. Solarian. The self-mutilated elf looked up at her with a sinister grin.

"This is the end, Melusina Sunveil. You've disappointed your people for the last time."


	17. Drowning, part 1

**New chapter! *cheers***

**Don't hate me for the direction I've gone. This was the only way I'd be able to end Wallflower sometime this century.  
**

**Heh, and I know the chapter title seems a little silly, but for chapters 16 and 17 I couldn't decide on two choices, so I just mashed them together. XD  
**

**Don't forget to review!**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Melusina Sunveil, Feng Liredan, Xishimu and all other OC's belong to me.  
**

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**Chapter 16: Drowning, part 1: Lost.**

"Mumma! Mumma!"

Melu paused abruptly in her story to look down at her daughter, Xishimu. When did she get there? The elf had been in the middle of telling Zamu and Toxi the one story the sisters had been dying three years to hear: her capture by the Alliance.

"Yes, honey? Is something wrong?" Melu sent an amused glance toward the warrior and priest pair. While everyone in Koleyna's guild loved little Shishi to pieces, Melu's story had just reached the climax and she could tell the two gnomes were writhing in agony at the unexpected interruption.

The blue eyed toddler shook her head before saying, rather pitifully, "I'm bowed." The young mother found it infinitely adorable that Shishi pronounced her 'r's as 'w's, but she knew that even at 3, the girl was very frustrated at times when no one could understand her. Ignoring her mother's silence, the mini-sunveil asked, "Mumma, youw stowy. What happened next?"

The three women shared a looked before Melu hesitantly replied, "Uh, we all lived happily ever after."

Shishi pouted. "Liaw! Uncle Lown told me what happened to his awm! It wan away!"

Zamu and Toxi tried to stifle their giggles as Melu smiled gently. "That's right, Uncle Lorn's story. But this one's too long for you, and I'm pretty sure Aunty Sho was looking for you." Shishi's eyes lit up excitedly, and the jumble of words that flew from her mouth next were less coherent than normal.

"AuntySho'shometoday?" she squealed, bouncing on her toes.

"That's right, why don't you ask Aunty Zamu and Aunty Toxi to bring you to her?" The two gnome women looked unhappy that Melu was bailing on the rest of her promised story, but were unable to refuse the toddler's expertly delivered puppy eyes.

Melu sighed, alone in the lounge area of the guild, a rustic manor on the northern edge of Azshara. It was decently sized, for a human built house. Out of all the members, only three actually lived in the manor aside from Melu and her daughter, the three being Koleyna, Shoshan, and Haphaestus. The mage rose to her feet and headed up the stairs toward the room she shared with Shishi, intent on starting a new tailoring project. As she traveled down the quiet halls, her mind wandered through the past.

It had been three years since she last saw the face of her child's father. He didn't even know of Xishimu's existence. By the Sunwell, Melu knew that no matter how many times she dreamed of that one night, remembering the feel of his fingers in her hair, his mouth on her skin, she knew he had probably long forgotten her. She sighed again and leaned against the wall, lost in memories.

††††

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_Three years ago._

It had now been two days since Melu and Feng had started avoiding each other, and dammit-all she was tired of it. Yes, she was angry and hurt with what she saw and how coldly the rogue brushed her aside, but she wanted both of them to move on already. She wanted to go back to the way things were. However, Melu was still a Sunveil, she may have also been Push-over Extraordinaire, but that _didn't_ mean she was going to apologize first.

The mage sat in her room, or more accurately, the Liredan's guest room and sulked. The moon cast a bright light through the window on the bed. She stared outside and thought offhand to herself that she should probably close the curtains. Before she had even summoned the energy to rise, the door opened. Melu stared at the uninvited guest in mild surprise.

"We need to talk," Feng said, his voice low to avoid waking the other inhabitants of the house. Melu swallowed hard. This was exactly what she had wanted, yet she was completely unprepared for it.

"O-ok," she mumbled and motioned to a spot on the bed across from her. Feng hesitated briefly before slowly taking a seat. Silence overwhelmed the room as the two awkwardly avoided eye contact. Finally, after what felt like half the night, Feng let loose a frustrated sigh and spoke.

"Damn it, I didn't come here to sit around." He fixed Melu with a determined stare. "I want to talk to you about that day in the alley, Felice's succubus- no, you know what, screw that. That's not even what's really bothering me."

_It's bothering me,_ Melu thought miserably.

"I want to apologize for what I said to you. You were worried about me, I was angry with Felice and took it out on you, you didn't deserve that," he sighed again, his rant ending abruptly. "I didn't meant to hurt you, Melu."

She never told him, but her heart would always explode with excitement whenever he said her name, like a jumbo pack of fireworks at the lunar festival. She both loved it and hated it because the elf found it very difficult to form coherent sentences every time he did that to her. Melu scowled, both at Feng and herself. Alright, so Feng had said his piece, but how was she supposed to make her point when she had been reduced to a mumbling idiot?

"B-but... you _did_! It hurt and then..." Melu shook her head, trying to erase the image of Feng's sad, guilty expression which now sat in front of her. "You ignored me! You ignored everything, you gave me presents like nothing happened? How am I supposed to feel? 'Cause I don't kn-"

Her words were cut off at the sensation of Feng's warm lips on her own. She froze, unsure if it were really happening or if she had finally gone off the deep-end and succumbed to her own wild imagination. As the kiss deepened and Feng's hand reached up to comb through her hair, Melu snapped back to reality and responded slowly, lifting shaky fingers to brush the rogue's face. Reluctantly, the elf pulled away first and gave him a bewildered look.

"I can't tell you how you're supposed to feel, that's for you to decide," Feng said slowly, watching her expression carefully. With their close proximity, her mind couldn't even grasp his words at the moment, only his actions. She could feel his breath on her lips, one hand rested beside her leg while the other was still tangled in her hair. Had his eyes always been so blue?

"W-what are you doing...?" He looked down at her lips as she formed the words.

"I don't know," he whispered, "What I feel like." His eyes darted up to hers. "What I want."

If her heart had been like fireworks before, then this must have been a volcanic eruption. Her whole body trembled as Feng leaned over her, gently but effectively pinning her to the bed. Melu squeezed her eyes shut. While more than welcomed, this was the last thing she was expecting when Feng said he wanted to talk. But why fight it? _I'm tired of fighting, _she thought to herself and relaxed in the man's arms.

"Yeah," was all she managed to reply before he captured her again.

And Melu surrendered completely.

††††

††††

_Present._

The mage-mother smiled at the memories. Her time with Feng had been so short after that. It was the next day that they were attacked by Solarian. Melu sighed regretfully. _If only I had known, I would've said something to him _a lot _sooner. _Of course, she had no back-bone then, so she knew her thoughts were complete wishful thinking.

Long fingers gently brushed her belly, an old habit she picked up after carrying Xishimu. During those months, she felt her swollen stomach more times than even the average mother probably did. Koleyna, the ever observant one that she was, noticed and asked Melu about it.

The brunette simply smiled at her guild-mistress and said, "I'm scared. What if all this is nothing more than a dream?" With a fearful chuckle she added, "What if I'm still in the Harvester's Row and..." her hands passed over her unborn child again. "What if it's not real?"

After that, Koleyna made sure that both Haphaestus and the other guild members were there to support Melu through thick and thin. The blood elf huntress was possibly the kindest Sin'dorei she had ever met, but she could be strict when she wanted to. After confessing her fears, Koleyna landed her with a stern glare and promptly told her to get over it. She was going to be a mother, she didn't have time for silly, unfaceable fears.

"Maybe you are imagining everything, but as far as I can tell, even if this truly isn't reality, I don't see an end to it anytime soon. Might as well enjoy it, don't let something like that stop you from loving your baby."

Those words were the furthest from what Melu expected. But then again, how _do _you comfort a soon-to-be single mother who thinks she's gone mad? She always chuckled whenever she thought about the guild-mistress' peculiar words. She was so thankful to Koleyna and her guild, the Sanctum, for welcoming her with open arms.

_After all, with everything that happened that day, we probably wouldn't have survive long without them, _she thought with a frown, remembering the day they fought against Solarian.

††††

††††

_Three years ago._

The room was quiet. Too quiet, too tense. The trembling blood elf felt like she would crumble beneath the pressure as she stared helplessly at her friends. Behind her, Solarian held Melu by her neck, angling himself carefully so her body blocked any potential attacks.

"Well," Soulbrand hummed, glancing around the room. "This is slightly more than I expected, but why be surprised? You are a Sunveil after all. You're _popular," _he said in a teasing tone, as if he were poking fun at something stupid Melu had done. It was this extreme personality, how he could go from seemingly charming and social to destructively angry, that scared her the most.

"Don't talk to her." The two blood elves looked up at the low growl. Feng glared darkly at Solarian, his entire frame shaking. "Don't touch her. Let her go!" Melu had never seen the rogue like this before. The few times she had seen (or experienced) him fight, he was always aware of his surroundings, constantly searching for a way to catch his enemy off-guard. Now, as she watched him, it looked like Feng's rage had completely closed him off from the rest of the world. His eyes were only focused on the blood elf in front of him.

_He's going to get himself killed! _Melu realized, fear shaking her to her core. She knew he was a good fighter, but in the state he was in, Solarian had the advantage. Solarian ignored the rogue, instead set his dulled green eyes on Felice and Sorin. The pair flinched under his attention.

"Ah, you two! Thank you for your assistance, though I'm sorry to say a herd of cattle would have gotten the job done better. Though I suppose, with your breeding, it was essentially the same." Felice stepped back, as if she had been dealt a physical blow. Her face twisted in rage.

"_Breeding?"_

"That is what I said, yes. Such a shame you both decided to renege on the deal in the end, but the results are still the same. I suppose I honestly didn't need either of you at all, but still, I feel obligated to thank you for your attempts." He gave the pair an earnest look. "Good job."

The room stared at him in bewilderment. While they had all heard about him from Melu, she hadn't quite put his somehow _offensive_ strangeness into words.

_Talking is good, he's distracted, _Melu realized and looked to Feng and caught his gaze. As subtly as she could she motioned with her eyes to the left, the opposite of where Solarian's attention now stood. Tai caught the signal and with minimal movement, positioned herself in front of her brother. He melted into the shadows, his presence disappearing perfectly.

"Now, wait a damn minute!" Felice roared, stomping forward until she was glaring over Melu's shoulder at the intruder. A cold sweat ran down Melu's spine. Was that girl insane? Did she not realize just how dangerous the paladin was? Solarian gave Felice a dreary look as she took a deep breath, a heated rant forthcoming. "Look here, tall, holy, and psycho- who your family is has _nothing _to do with who you are as an individual, so _fuck you, _'breeding'! Bet your parents weren't killer-stalkers, although they were _clearly_ crazy to let something as defected as you get passed it's first birthday-"

Felice's words hung in the air as her body fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Melu's brain barely comprehended the action as Solarian's free hand flew out and gripped the older girl's mouth, fingernails digging into her tongue viciously. Then, with in one fluid motion, he ripped the jaw downward and thrust his hand forward, snapping her neck.

Melu gagged and whimpered at the sight of the dead girl and the room erupted. Sorin and Tai howled in rage as Feng charged out from the shadows. Solarian barely had time to react to the assault. Twisting around, he shoved Melu in the line of fire, forcing Feng to draw back unexpectedly. Solarian used the rogue's surprise to deliver a blast of light that stunned both him and the nearby Tai and Sorin. Tai quickly shrugged it off and snarled at the blood knight.

But it was too late, Solarian already had his back to the now open door and was slowly making his escape to the canals.

"I think not," Thelrien murmured, casting a quick frost nova, effectively pinning both Solarian and Melu where they stood. Soulbrand scowled and cast a quick spell down at the ice around their feet, freeing them both, but as soon as he did that Melu realized with glee that he was surrounded.

"Alright, I'll admit you have the advantage in numbers here," Solarian chuckled, his grip tightening on her throat. "But I still have Melusina, even if I can't escape, she'll still die. It doesn't matter to me if a few of you wish to join her." With sickening dread, Melu realized how true his words were. He still had her hostage, it would only take one quick spell to the back to end everything. But none of the Alliance members had any intention of backing down.

_Unnecessary bloodshed, _the words floated through her mind unbidden. Her fate was sealed, but now the lives of her loved ones were being threatened. She couldn't allow that. She had to find a way to turn the tables.

"Solarian, enough!" She demanded before a finished plan even came to her. All eyes landed on her in shock and confusion. She knew this might anger Feng and Tai more, but she had to try. They had to trust her. She had his attention now. "These Alliance have nothing to do with why you're here. For me, right?"

Solarian's gaze turned suspicious. "Yes, what's your point?"

"You always go on and on about how I've failed as a Sunveil." She turned her head as much as she could to deliver a hateful glare at her oppressor. "Let me fight you. Fair and square, no interventions. If you kill me, then you were right all along."

Delighted, the paladin grinned. "And if you win, I'll let you go."

Her eyes widened. "What?" She hadn't been expecting that.

Solarian shrugged. "Times have changed, the holy Sunveil family has fallen, maybe only because it's time for the family's rebirth as mages. If so, then you'll prove this in a fight against me." His grin turned dangerous. "A fight to the death. If I win, I was right all along-"

"And if _I _win," Melu interrupted before he could set her terms for her. "You'll let me go, never bother me or my friends again. This includes Haphaestus and Remiel!" The group was silent and Melu thought with a shred of hope that maybe Tai and Feng would let her carry out her plan. She had to end this herself.

Solarian scoffed. "Well, I can hardly see your brother being a problem, but that soot-covered cousin of yours? I have every right to defend myself if he ever comes after me." The way he said it made Melu pause.

"Wait, what do you mean my brother won't be a problem?" Solarian's eyes turned wide, his crazy grin flashing. He looked like a deviant teenager who just realized a hilarious joke.

"You don't know?" His laughter rang through the park.

Melu scowled, fear of his answer giving her tone venom. "Know what-"

"Your brother's dead!"

Numb. Her brain felt numb. Did he say 'dead'? That can't be. That's not right. Her brother was a magnificent mage, not like Melu. He wouldn't just... Maybe it was a joke? Maybe Remiel just got lost and everyone _thinks _he's dead. Or captured! Now wouldn't that be funny? Her lips twitched up in a humorless, distant smile.

Solarian continued on, drinking in her despair. "I got a letter from my parents in our first week at the gulch. It was a huge buzz all over the city- your cousin made a scene at a bar the day after, unsurprisingly. He was killed on his mission, couldn't cut it, it seems, just like you." He chuckled.

Dead? All this time? And she never knew? The mage stared dully at the nearby canal as realization weighed down on her. Memories of days spent with her brother flashed through her grief-stricken mind.

"I-I don't understand," she mewled, sobs bubbling to the back of her throat. "Grandfather, why didn't he..." She gripped her hair viciously, trying to banish the overwhelming flood of Remiel's image.

Solarian gave her a tired look. "What? You still don't get it?" He sighed and rolled his shoulders, releasing the tension. "Champion Balderius was the one who did all this! He asked a few favors amongst the other higher ups and had them send the two of you away before you were ready. That way, there's no one to blame but yourselves. It's a gentleman's assassination." As an after-thought he added, "He planned on getting Haphaestus too, but that lazy cousin of yours never left the city."

Grandfather?

Haphaestus.

Remiel...

_REMIEL!_

Melusina let loose a soulless, animalistic shriek that echoed through Elwynn Forest. Everything went white with inhuman rage and all she could feel was cold, bitter water pull her down into the deep.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! The next chapter should be the last. After that, I have a few good ideas I want to get started on. Wallflower's ended up in such a different place than I originally planned. Hopefully, it's not too confusing as I go back and edit the old chapters. Anyway, let me know what you think!**


	18. Drowning, part 2

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Original characters belong to me.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Drowning, part 2: Found.**

_Present._

"Ya ok, Melu?"

The elf snapped to attention at the sound of her name. At the end of the hall stood Zanzo, a Darkspear rogue with the social capacity of a rock. He hated being around others, but for whatever reason, Koleyna made it his duty to keep Sho out of trouble. Although Melu would never voice her theory aloud, she suspected both Sho and Zanzo had their own skeletons to bear. Koleyna simply deemed it appropriate to kill two birds with one stone and force the draenei and troll to get along.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just lost in thought," she said gently with a smile. The rogue shrugged, accepting the excuse without a second thought.

"A'ight, just checkin'. Hey mon, ya seen dat brat anywheres?" She chuckled, knowing full-well he was talking about Shoshan.

"She just got home today from what I understand. I had Toxi and Zamu bring Shishi to her, so I'd suggest keeping your eyes and ears out for the path of total destruction."

Zanzo glowered. "Why ya make Zanzo's job harder? All ya's girls crazy."

"I'm surprised you didn't go with her on this trip."

"Wasn't a real mission, she was just visitin' her sistah." Zanzo shrugged and Melu waved the troll off as he reluctantly went to find his charge.

The young mother sighed and finished the trek to her room. Opening the aged door, she glanced around. It was a simple, cluttered little bedroom she shared with her daughter, but it was more welcoming than all the memories she had of the Sunveil château combined. Sitting at her work table, she ruffled through the dyed cloths. _I'm going to have to get more materials soon, _she thought idly, but her mind was still stuck in the past.

After Solarian delivered the devastating news to her, she apparently blacked out. Melu had no memories of the fight after that, only her and Haphaestus' quick escape. Her cousin filled her in on all the details she lacked later on.

††††

††††

_Three years ago._

Feng watched with growing dread as the water from the nearby canals and fountain flew to life and wrapped around Melu like vipers. Solarian was forcefully pushed away from her, the currents moving with the force of a raging elekk. The rogue's eyes widened as the water enveloped her completely.

"What's going on?" He asked, panic making his voice rise above the noise. Thelrien wore a grim expression as he explained.

"Magic is more connected to the wielder's emotions than most people think, which is why we teach our students to remain neutral and calculated to the best of their-"

"MELU! What's happening to Melu?"

Thelrien gave him a dark look. "The despair of losing her brother- no, of finding out she lost her brother some time ago and never properly mourned him is literally killing her." He added morbidly, "She'll drown in her own magic and be too grief-stricken to even realize it."

Feng swallowed hard. There had to be a way to stop it. The logical part of his brain whispered that if it were her mental state causing the magical catastrophe, then he just had to help her calm down. However that same logic deemed it annoyingly necessary to add that she would drown long before her emotions came into check.

"Hmmph, sneak attacks during our duel? Not very Sunveil-like," Solarian muttered from the other side of Melu.

The rogue's grip on his twin swords tightened.

"No, Feng, wait! Leave that guy to us!" He glanced over to meet his sister's hard gaze. Beside her, Sorin was already preparing a spell. "Let _us_ focus on that psycho. You help Melu. Her magic's out of control, you gotta stop her!"

"You couldn't be more right."

Feng didn't recognize the girl's voice, but he could tell just from Winters' expression that the new-comers were trouble. Crossing the bridge were a hooded trio, one far shorter than the others, either a dwarf or a child. His eyes caught the gleam of Connor's bronze mask and suddenly everything fit into place.

The Harvester.

_What? One villain in this drama isn't enough? _Ignoring his sister's advice, he turned to face the inquisitor as she revealed herself. She was far from what he pictured the Harvester to look like. From all the rumors he had heard, his mental image had always been of an older man, perhaps disfigured from his own experience with torture. Neesha Shadoweye on the other hand, was not what he expected at all. Barely passed his waist, she looked the equivalent of a 12 year old human girl, with long curly white hair and doll-like features that were rare for a night elf. The other thing that surprised him was that she had no facial markings whatsoever, though she might not have been old enough.

Everything about her was strange and unsettling, she looked like she should be in a field making flower bracelets, not mutilating people's appendages.

With a triumphant smirk the little girl proclaimed, "Melusina Sunveil has violated her parole! The rules set down _explicitly _state that she commit absolutely _no _acts of violence against the people or property of the Alliance. And as you can clearly see here-" The tall draenei by her side motioned to the ruined park. "-She has broken that agreement."

"Oh please."

Winters stepped forward, hackles raised as she glared down at the girl. "You and I both know you don't give a damn about the rules, you just want your _toy _back."

Neesha cocked her head. "Did I say something wrong?"

Feng growled and coiled, ready to charge at the girl. "No, Feng! Do what you sister said! I've got her!" Winters ordered, giving him a no-nonsense look. Feng hesitated. The inquisitor against all three of them? That was hardly a fair fight, but she didn't seem worried. The rogue could only pray she had something up her sleeve.

Feng turned his attention back to Melu. The water shield had stopped siphoning from the nearby fountain and begun to form a layer of ice around itself. He cursed. If this continued, the elf might actually freeze herself solid.

"Let me assist you," Thelrien said, stepping up beside Feng. The rogue threw him a questioning glance.

"Shouldn't you help Inquisitor Winters?"

"She'll be fine, but you won't be able to get passed Melusina's shield by will alone. Let me worry about her magic while you make her come to her senses." Feng nodded and leapt at the shield.

††††

††††

Winters glared at the Harvester before feeling her gaze tug toward Connor. She couldn't fight her brother, but she also couldn't ask him to turn against the one person he feared the most. She bit her lip, wincing as the dry flesh cracked.

The little elf picked up on her hesitation immediately, reveling in her misery. "What will you do, Dahlia? Not fight against your brother, I hope. What a bully you are!"

The scarred woman ignored her, analyzing the situation. A lone priestess against two priests and a paladin. Not good odds. _What can I do? Shadoweye will have a fear ward on her, I imagine, but Connor and that lunk won't. The little crazy doesn't like it when her goons have a card up their sleeve. But I don't want to fight Connor, dammit!_

The Harvester's brow furrowed. "Dahlia, are you listening?" she paused, then said decidedly, "Maybe I should just have my little puppy finish you off now!"

There was a long, tense silence before Connor rolled his shoulders and leisurely walked up to stand next to his sister. Winters smiled as he made a series of hand gestures.

"Heh, about time- what? No, no. Hmm, yeah, that might work."

Neesha Shadoweye stared at the duo like she had been slapped in the face. Tears pricked her eyes as she whined, "Connor! _What _are you doing?" Continuing their plans, the siblings ignored her. The Harvester's expression turned stony with anger. "You stole my puppy! I hate you!" She whirled on her heel and glared up at the draenei. "I want Connor! I want Melusina! And I want Dahlia _dead!_ Right now!" she shrieked, stamping her foot. At times like this it was hard to imagine that the little night elf was the so-called "god of pain" that everyone feared. But maybe it was the fact that everything was a game to her that made Neesha so unstable. It was all a game and the Harvester hated losing.

Winters cursed as Zakhar called for the Row guards standing at attention in the background. _Ok, this just went from difficult to pain-in-the-ass unfair._

"BAM!"

Dumbfounded, the Winters siblings watched as a draenei woman leapt down from a nearby rooftop. Her maul hit the ground and the grass in the surrounding area erupted. The soldiers screamed and scattered like rats to escape the holy flames. The Harvester and her right hand man remained, hidden safely behind their magic shields.

Zakhar glared at the intruding paladin. "Do not meddle in the Harvester's affairs! Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The woman now stood between the opposing parties. She drew herself up to her full height, staring gravely at the one who addressed her.

"I'm looking for Mankrik's wife."

All eyes stared at her in disbelief. That certainly wasn't what anyone was expecting.

"Who's Mankrik?" Winters wondered, the seriousness of the situation momentarily forgotten.

Connor gave his sister a look that clearly said, "Who cares? That girl's an idiot."

Foolishness put aside, the newcomer pointed at Shadoweye gleefully. "Harvester, Neesha Shadoweye! By order of my client, I've come for your head!"

The elf smiled coyly. "Client, eh? You must be a member of the Sanctum. A neutral guild made up of both Alliance and Horde, doing any and all jobs as long as it pays. I'd _love_ to have a chat with your guild leader," she mused. The draenei's expression darkened, her grip on her weapon tightening.

Before the strange woman had a chance to mess things up further, Winters called out to her. "You! You're here to fight Shadoweye, correct?"

She gave Winters a blank look. "My name's Shoshan. I'm here for her head, so you can't have it. Take her foot or something."

Winters raised a quizzical brow. _Her foot? _"We don't need to bring proof back to any clients. We want to fight her for personal reasons. We're here to help you."

Shoshan beamed at this. "The more the merrier!"

††††

††††

"Where are the guards?" Sorin cried before throwing an arcane missile at Solarian. The elf dodged then spun on his heel to block an attack from Tai. The woman glared down at him before answering her companion.

"Did you forget the Harvester works for Stormwind's Stockade? Something tells me we don't want the guards showing up." She let out a pained cry as the blood knight kicked her away.

"Talking and fighting doesn't seem to be your strong point, if you have any hopes of defeating me I suggest you two remain silent," he chuckled.

Tai leapt at him again only to have her claymore knocked from her hand. Solarian grabbed her by the neck and threw her in the line of Sorin's fire. A startled gasp escaped her as she formed a shield, saving herself, but also the smirking elf. With a speed that would make her brother proud, Tai backhanded him. He dropped her. Using his moment of dazed confusion, she landed more punches and kicks on him, to his face, solar plexus, groin. He cried out in fury and raised his weapon to strike, but an arcane blast from Sorin knocked him flat on his back. The mage let out a whoop, pleased his attack finally landed. Tai scrambled to picked up her dropped sword and finish Solarian off before he got his bearings.

She cleaved down, hoping to carve the psycho straight in half through the exposed gap in his armor. Solarian twisted away at the last second and avoided the death-rendering blow but Tai's blade bit into his side and dug a shallow trail along his back.

Solarian snarled at her. Pulling out a dagger, he sent it flying toward Tai forcing her to leap out of the way. She landed face first on the ground and lost sight of him.

Sounds and smells whirled all around the paladin. The distinct sound of ice cracking behind her. Her brother's voice rising above the din. The overwhelming scent of blood and holy fire off a short distance around Winters' fight signaled to Tai that someone was losing and quickly. She sent a short prayer to the Inquisitor and looked around for Solarian. With a curse, she spotted him moving in on a cornered and panic-stricken Sorin.

Tai watched with wide eyes as the mage's "O" shaped mouth twisted into a grin. He thrust one hand out as arcane energy burst out around him, pushing the elf back with the force of a bomb.

"Way to go, Tyrrell!" Tai called out, unable to fight her own wild grin. Solarian staggered to his feet, clutching at the seared flesh on his face.

_"You insects!_" Solarian roared, reverting back to Thalassian in his rage. They circled around each other slowly. _"I am a Soulbrand! Sin'dorei! We elves were ruling these lands when you pathetic humans were nothing more than mindless beasts! How dare you raise your hand to a far superior race! I will _burn _you. Rend you. Annihilate-" _With a startled cry, his savage rant was cut short. Tai and Sorin watch in bewilderment as a blood elf with flaming red hair appeared from behind Solarian, his face twisted with hatred.

"You'll shut the hell up."

With a final twist, the knife in Solarian's back was yanked free and the paladin fell crumpled to the ground.

Tai watched the newcomer suspiciously as he took a step back. She couldn't help but feel resentful toward the him for stealing her thunder. _She _wanted to kill Solarian, as Melu's friend and the one who had been with her through everything, she felt like she earned it; not this stranger. As the Soulbrand's body lay there lifelessly, the redhead's anger seemed to wash away and he looked around sheepishly as if just realizing where he was. Bright fel eyes met Tai's dark ones and after a moment, he dipped his head in a small bow before a burst of light caught everyone's attention.

"Melu!" he cried.

The color drained from Tai's face. _ What's happening?_

††††

††††

Feng let out a loud curse as Melu's ice shield soundly knocked him back. With a frustrated growl he whirled on Thelrien.

"I thought you said you were going to help?"

"Patience, young man. I'll have you know you just made this a great deal harder than necessary." Feng glared darkly at him, a thousand insults running through his mind but he let the high elf continue. "I have to find a crack in her defense."

"Shouldn't that be easy since she's so upset?" Feng asked.

"Yes and no," the mage replied. "Right now, her magic has taken the reigns and is fiercely protecting itself and it's host; but without a competent master to guide it, every time it moves to fix a gap, it leaves a new opening in it's defense elsewhere."

"So, you're saying the cracks are constantly moving?"

"To put it simply, yes. Oh, do watch out," Thelrien warned monotonously.

Feng barely had time to dodged the spear of ice as it lodged two feet into the ground where the rogue once stood.

"Shit! What the-?" Feng looked at Melu's cocoon, the ice was molding itself into another wicked looking spear.

"By tackling the shield, you've activated the magic's defenses. Be prepared to dodge," Thelrien explained calmly and continued scanning the ice.

"You couldn't have told me that sooner?" the man groused. Swords flashed as he deflected a wave of razor sharp shards. He spared a moment to check on the woman incased in magic. "Melu! Melu, can you hear me? Snap out of it!" In another bout of recklessness he charged forward and slammed into the shield again. With an angry grunt he sliced at the wall blocking him from her. A good sized crack split open but before Feng could even move to deliver another blow more ice covered the wound and spears accosted him viciously from both sides. The rogue snarled as one bit deeply into his foot, rooting him in place.

"Feng you _must _ be careful! She has no control over what's happening right now, she could kill you," Thelrien warned. He ignored the high elf, too focused on deflecting and dodging the ice. "And when you're not busy dying, do that again."

"Do what again? Get stabbed in the foot?" Feng snapped. He had little patience for the mage on a good day but add Melu trying to skewer him was a very bad combination. He was more than wishing he could just kill two birds with one stone, throw the maginor at the shield until it broke and call it a day.

"No, damage her shield, then while it's repairing the crack, I want you to attack the opposite side."

Feng opened his mouth to demand what use that would be before he remembered Thelrien's earlier words. "Will you be able to take down the shield that way?"

"We must try, Melusina's running out of time."

Feng's heart stopped at his words and without hesitating he rammed the pommel of one sword into the ice, cracks spider-webbing up the side from the force. He spun on his heel, narrowly avoiding the oncoming spears. His arms ached, his skin was cold to the point it seemed like he was on fire and he couldn't feel his foot anymore but he kept moving. The ice slashed, sliced and scraped against his arms and legs. His swords were ripped from his hands, but as he threw himself against the ice, now opposite from where he last wounded it, he numbly reached for the dagger at his belt. _Don't worry, Melu, I'll save you. _Feng smiled faintly, ignoring an ice tentacle as it pierced through his stomach. Raising the dagger above his head he spared a glance at the elf. She was still now, her eyes barely open. _I'll save you, like I should have that day and you won't cry anymore, I promise._

Feng fell back as a blast of cold wind and bright light shattered the tomb of frozen water. The world spun and blurred terribly but Feng didn't care. Melu wasn't trapped in the water. Relief encompassed him and he was completely content with passing out right there in the middle of the park, letting Tai take care of whatever idiots were left.

"Don't relax just yet, young mr. Feng. We're not done."

That sickening heart=stopping sensation was back as Feng forced himself to sit up and focus. His eyes landed on the elf girl before him.

"...Melu?"

††††

††††

_Dammit! How are these two so powerful? _ Winters wondered, wiping away a trail of blood from her forehead. Connors had finished off the few soldiers that had stuck around after Shoshan's initial attack, but had gotten exhausted quickly after that. Before becoming Shadoweye's right hand man, he had been a priest, spending most of his time in the cathedral healing the sick or injured. He only learned how to hurt others after falling under the Harvester's wing.

The masked man stood close behind his sister as the pair glared deeply at the small kal'dorei. Nearby, Shoshan fought against Zakhar, the two draeneis apparently at a stalemate.

The Harvester huffed and put her small hands on her hips. Her pale eyes stared dully at the siblings. "Silly puppy! I thought you learned after the first time." From behind her, Winters felt Connor shudder. Shadoweye grinned maliciously. "Don't you remember? When you lied to that old bartender and told him how _mean _I was to you? We fixed that didn't we?" The little girl pet her lips, her pink tongue darting out. "I made you promise you'd never tell people such awful lies again. And you remember? You remember what happened next?"

He was shaking now. Dahlia snarled at the Harvester. "Shut up you little witch! Enough!"

She ignored her. "I _chopped out_ that lying tongue... and you ate it. Good little puppy, you ate it for me, so you would keep your promise to me with you-" she held her hands over her heart with a tender smile. "-Forever."

Winters didn't even recognize the scream that tore through her as she charged at the Inquisitor. Light flashed and Winters' dagger hovered inches above the petite demon who now turned her smug smile up at the woman.

"That wasn't very nice."

Winters screamed as pain wracked through her body. Nerves fried, tendons twisted and muscles stretched as the curse slowly soaked into her. But just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Relief washed over her as Connor's magic worked to heal her. She looked up at her brother. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was still shaken up by the Harvester's emotional attack. Hell, even she was and it hadn't happened to her. She was the only one outside of Neesha's control that knew what happened to Connor. She was the one who got him that mask which had come from an inside joke between the two. She nodded to him, letting the other priest know she was fine. He returned the gesture and they turned to face the Harvester once more.

Shadoweye pouted, swinging her arms side to side stiffly. "Connor, no! This isn't how it's supposed to go!"

"Too bad," Winters bit out, calling up as much holy magic as she could. Shadoweye giggled.

"Your Light is powerless against my shadows! And have you forgotten I still have-" her words were cut off by a ragged, desperate cry. The three looked over to the source of the sound.

Shoshan stood over the expired body of Zakhar. The alien woman was badly beaten and burnt by holy fire. Her singed hair had fallen loose from their pigtails but beneath Winters could see one glowing eye already swelling shut. As she took a breath to compose herself, she leaned on her maul, one of her kneecaps clearly shattered.

A pale light wrapped around the woman and Winters knew Connor had already begun healing her with what little energy he had left. The draenei perked up at the sensation. She turned to the masked man and gave him a thankful smile.

"I'mma roach," she said.

"No!" Shadoweye cried, a panicked look written all over her face. She began to fidget, looking around frantically for someone, _anyone. _"This isn't right! This isn't how it's supposed to go!"

Dahlia took a deep breath before she decided to respond to the Inquisitor's earlier comment.

"It's true, as a general rule, priests who delve in the shadow arts are much more deadly than their brothers and sisters who wield the Light, though it's mostly from the fact that our holy priests spend most of their energy healing or praying." Shadoweye backed away, her eyes wide with fear as she stared up at the older woman. "But _I _ have not had that luxury. I use my Light in defense of the Alliance, even when that means causing harm to those who can't defend themselves." Winters stood mere feet from her now, hands raised and glowing, face twisted in a snarl.

"Neesha Shadoweye, despite your monstrous crimes against Alliance and Horde alike, I won't kill you. I can't bring myself to end the life of a child, even a demon spawn like you." The triumphant smirk almost crept back until Winters finished, "But when you're older..."

The Harvester wailed in terror and turned to flee. Winters let loose her spell, stunning Shadoweye. She continued, "You're nothing more than a crazy brat. A power-hungry child in desperate need of _chastising... _And you'd damn well better believe I'm going to give it to you."

The kal'dorei glared over her shoulder, her form overcome by shadows. "I don't think so!" She flung her hand out, shooting a shadow bolt directly toward the Siren's heart.

Winters didn't even realize she had been saved until she hit the ground. She smiled and gave a shaky sigh. Turning to thank her brother, she looked up just as Connor collapsed to his knees, rivers of blood flowing freely from his chest. She stared dumbly before blind panic took over her.

No, not Connor. Not her baby brother. Anyone but him!

_Stop the bleeding. Stop the bleeding. Stop the bleeding, _ the words chanted through her head. She crawled over to the copper haired priest who was now lying on his back, gasping desperately for breath but coughing up blood instead.

Why?

Why, him? After everything he had been through? It wasn't fair!

"Nononono- Connor! Stay with me, Connor. Please, I know it hurts, but- please _please _ don't leave me!" Dahlia cried ripping off her cloak, bundling it up and placed it under her brother's head. She watched as he slowly struggled to remove his mask. "Connor, stop don't use too much energy, just relax and I'll heal you right up, ok? Just stay still!" Tears blurred her vision as she pulled the torn fabric away from the wound. She barely registered the mask falling to the grass or the draenei in the background, calling out for a healer. She didn't even care that the Harvester had escaped. She fiercely focused her energies into her brother, but the Light just wouldn't move fast enough. For every bit of muscle she stitched together he seemed to fade away that much more.

"Please," Winters begged weakly. "You have to stay awake. We beat that bitch. I just got you back! You're my baby brother, I can't let you die! Please, please!" Her voice was hoarse with crying but she kept calling out to him and kept healing. She was hunched over, like a bow strung too tight, about to snap.

"...Please?"

She jumped as cold fingers brushed her wrist. Almost delirious with hope she looked up to see a faint eyed Connor, paler than snow, smiling shakily at her. He rested his weak hands on his chest and motioned with his fingers.

_"Don't cry, sis."_

Dahlia's face fell as his eyes lost focus, his hands barely moving now.

_"I love you."_

Her hands found his as Winters bent over her brother. A piercing cry erupted from her, the unconsolable wails ringing through the entire park.

††††

††††

Feng lifted himself to a crouching position. He was still dizzy as fuck and he had already lost a lot of blood, if this didn't end soon, he really was going to pass out. Melu stood a few feet from him, wobbling as if she'd collapse at any moment, but she was alive. A frosty blue light engulfed her, pulsing angrily.

"Now is your chance, mr. Feng. Wake her or else I fear we'll be back where we started," Thelrien cautioned from somewhere behind him.

With a groan, he forced himself to his feet and staggered forward. Almost there. Just a few inches. He stood in front of the wavering elf and soaked in the sight of her shivering form. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her neck, breathing deep.

The rogue didn't even realize he was leaning forward until the two crashed into the ground. Taking a heavy breath, he turned so he could whisper into Melu's ear.

"Melu... Listen, I know. I understand how you're feeling right now." Her eyes were clouded and her face white with cold, but he plowed ahead with his words, hoping she could hear him. "It hurts, it's not fair, it's-" he swallowed. "It's so fucking unfair. My dad, the last time I saw or spoke to him we fought over something stupid. I said things I can never take back. I never got to say goodbye and... I never told him I loved him. I should have, I should have every day." He paused, considering his next words. "Maybe I never told him, but I know that he knew I cared. We were family. Yes, I'll never get to see him again, but that doesn't mean I'm alone, as long as I have my memories of our time together, I know I'll be ok."

He sighed, pressing up against Melu's chilled cheek. "It may not feel like it now, but you'll get through this. You'll be okay, because you're not alone. Your brother will always be with you, and we're still here. I'm still here. I'll help you through this, Melu."

He felt the elf's body rise as she took in a deep breath. He watched her eyes become focused as his on vision blurred. Her face tilted toward him slightly, as much as she could in the short distance between them.

"Feng?" she whispered.

He tried to raise his hand to touch her face, but found he barely even had the energy to keep his eyes open. So he simply smiled contently.

"I'm here," he said, then promptly passed out.

††††

††††

Thelrien watched in a mixture of amazement and relief as the red haired elf dashed over, helping Melusina to her feet. Confused, the little elf mage looked from left to right slowly. She leaned heavily on the man for support, which didn't surprise the maginor in the least bit. It was a miracle she was even still alive after that manifestation of magic.

"In the name of the King, everyone stop where you are!"

A new wave of panic washed over the victors; as they now had to either quickly hide members of the Horde, dozens of bodies, and somehow cover up an utterly destroyed park, or just plain run for their lives. The Stormwind guards had been alerted to the fight. Judging by the distance of the sound, they were on the other side of the canal.

"Hey! Mister Mage-Guy, how close can you get me and the elves to Azshara?" cried the draenei, dragging herself over to him.

Thelrien frowned, hesitant. She _did _help Winters against the Harvester, but other than that, he didn't know a single thing about the draenei. There was always a chance she was working with Solarian and planned on killing Melusina as soon as she got the two elves out of the city. His eyes traveled around the group. The red head urgently agreed with her and Melu seemed to trust the male sin'dorei. There wasn't enough time to argue, or even voice his discomfort, so Thelrien got to work on the portal.

"I can deliver you just outside of the Ruins of Eldarath. Everyone, quickly!"

"Wait, Sho. What about the twins?" the nameless blood elf asked, looking around in a panic. The draenei latched onto his arm, using him to pull herself up.

"Don't worry about them. They're super smart, they'll figure it out and meet up with us!" Sho smiled reassuringly.

As the portal shimmered to life, he staggered toward it, Melusina and the draenei leaning on either side of him for support.

"Wait! Melu! Where are you going?" Tai cried, realizing her friend was leaving. Thelrien turned and caught the girl before she could stop the trio.

"No, let her go," the maginor commanded. She struggled fiercely, reaching desperately for Melu. Tired and confused, the elf woman reached back for her even as she faded from existence through the magical gateway. "You must let her go. If she stayed, the soldiers would kill her on sight. At least this way, you have a chance of seeing her again." Tai glared up at him, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, but she stopped fighting.

The sounds of the guards were growing. Thelrien cast a wary glance toward the direction of the noise.

"We should probably bail too." For once he agreed with the young woman. If only it were that simple.

"Someone has to stay behind and explain this mess, otherwise you and your brother might be arrested as well." He glanced down at Feng who was slowly regaining consciousness. "Take him and mr. Sorin out of here. I'll distract the guards."

††††

††††

As Feng slowly came to his senses, he felt someone lift him to his feet. _Melu? _he wondered. However, something felt off. A presence that had grown dear to him was gone. Panic rose in him as the rogue forced his eyes open and looked around.

Tai was the one supporting him, Sorin standing just behind her. Thelrien's eyes were focused on something else and Melu-

Melu?

The panic grew into full fledged anxiety as he realized the sin'dorei woman was gone. He shoved Tai's arm away, stumbling for balance.

She was gone?

Something inside him felt barren and cold. He stared numbly at the spot he last saw her. Was it a mirage? This wasn't some sort of third-rate drama. People didn't just disappear off the face of Azeroth without so much as a backwards glance, especially after everything that had happened. He couldn't just let her go. Feng whirled on his heel, prepared to bolt for the docks.

He couldn't just _let her go._

"Feng, stop!"

A hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly spun him to face his sister. Tears threatened to spill from her already red eyes as she glared fiercely at him.

"She's safe now! She's okay. But we have to stop. We can't keep chasing after her, she's not a prisoner anymore."

Feng hesitated. While her words did nothing to calm him, he knew she was right. If Melu wanted to leave, he couldn't stop her. Somehow, even after everything she went through, the idea that she _wanted _ to leave hurt more than he could describe.

"Come on," Tai soothed. "You'll see her again, I'm sure. But right now, we have to leave." She grabbed Feng's arm. Sorin stood on his other side, but didn't touch the rogue. The two quickly escorted him out of the park, heading straight for the cathedral. As they lead him away, Tai's words echoed through his brain, repeating like a mantra.

_We'll see each other again. Melu... I'll see you again, I promise._

††††

††††

Thelrien watched them go. His eyes shifted to Winters as the guards came into sight, appearing from a small street wedged between two houses. The scarred woman's face was blank, her eyes dull. The maginor frowned.

"Perhaps you should escape as well, Inquisitor."

"Dahlia." He gave her a perplexed look at the correction. "Dahlia Winters, I'm not an inquisitor. Not anymore, at least... not for long." His eyes narrowed at her words.

"What do you-?"

"I _mean _the ones responsible for this are gone. Not that it matters, the city will need a scapegoat."

Rage washed over him at the woman's insane logic. "You can't be serious? The Harvester is still out there, the Alliance needs to know what she has done."

"If you tell them what really happened, they'll hunt down Melusina as well. Not only her, but the Liredan's. They'll accuse Melu of tricking everyone with her magic. The Liredan name will be ruined for being seduced by her." She paused before giving Thelrien a wry smile. "Seven Stormwind soldiers are dead. The Harvester is missing and the one Horde prisoner put under house arrest has fled the city. The people need someone to blame. It's the only way they sleep at night.

"My brother is dead, we're no longer tied down by civilization's wretched, two-faced laws." Standing up, she faced the oncoming soldiers grimly. "You need a scapegoat? I'll give you one. Run." As she charged toward the armored men, she cried, "Death to King Wrynn! Death to the Alliance!"

Shocked, Thelrien could only watch as Dahlia Winters disappeared in a mass of blades and iron fists


	19. Sanctum

**Finally! Onto the next story!  
**

**Edit: This story definitely ended going in a direction I didn't originally plan on (which I'm sure you figured out already). As some of you noticed there's some incorrections lore-wise, constancy errors, and some plot points were dropped entirely in the end: like Melu becoming an actual traitor to Silvermoon and spying on them- or Shan'dor! Ugh. I won't lie, I had planned on explaining what happened with the mana wyrm (and the kitten that showed up for a grand total of what? 2 chapters?) but silly me did what I always seem to do, start writing right before I need to be somewhere and end up rushing everything so I'm not late.  
**

**Not that I'm trying to make excuses, it's just a bad habit of mine I'm trying to break. XD  
**

**I'll probably rewrite this AGAIN. Not now, for now I'm going to start a new story and give this one a break. But I'm definitely coming back to it and taking all the helpful tips you guys gave me when I do fix this up.  
**

**World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Original characters belong to me.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Sanctum.**

_Present._

Melu jumped. She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice Koleyna's arrival until she turned around only to be face to face with the woman.

The guild mistress chuckled as Melu clutched her pounding heart. "I'm sorry, Melu. I didn't mean to scare you. I just thought you should know Shoshan came home with a stray. Little Shishi's so taken with him, I thought it might be best if you swooped in to the rescue since no one else is able to pry the girl away."

The mage groaned. "Oh no! Alright, let's go. Where are they? The dining hall?"

Koleyna shook her head. "No, my office."

Melu blanched. "Oh, she hasn't made a mess, has she?"

The hunter laughed again. "No, don't worry. She's too busy climbing on the little stray to notice anything else."

She smiled before giving the leader an inquisitive look. "You keep saying stray... what sort of animal did Sho find?"

Koleyna hummed to herself and ran a hand through her lynx companion's fur. "A lion," she said finally.

Melu squeaked. "A- a _lion? _And Shishi's playing with it? Are you mad?" Adrenaline shot through her veins and she raced toward the guild office. She almost ran straight into several members of the Sanctum before ripping open the door.

"Xishimu!" She cried, her eyes landed on the dark haired child instantly. The moment her eyes landed on what was the center of her baby's attention her heart lodged in her throat.

He was different, but still the same. He watched her with the same startling blue eyes she remembered. He had more scars and his tired face was covered in scruff. His armor was better than the time in Warsong, but worn. It also seemed that he no longer carried the short swords he favored, instead every belt on his body was lined with daggers.

"Feng?" she breathed.

The tiredness faded, making way for a warm smile, eyes sparkling. Only half aware of her actions, Melu leapt forward and threw her arms around him. She shook as he returned the hug, burrowing his face in her neck and running a hand through her hair.

"I told you we'd see each other again," he rumbled against her skin.

Melu laughed, tears rolling down her face. She didn't remember him making that promise, but regardless, she was happy he kept it.

"Aren't you glad you came to check on Shishi?" Toxi asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously as the group watched their little trick play out.

The mage twisted around to give a halfhearted glare to Koleyna standing in the doorway.

"You liar! You said Sho brought home a _lion." _

The huntress smiled pleasantly. "Well, she _did... _in a way. Besides, your cousin would pout for days if we didn't stick to his plan."

"I don't pout," Haphaestus scowled which quickly turned into a triumphant grin as he looked at Melu. "From what you always told me about Feng and Tai, I knew they'd come to find you eventually and when they did, it had to be a surprise." Leaning an arm on his leg, he pointed at Melu and chuckled, "I wish you could've seen your face."

The room burst into laughter as the mage mother ripped off her slipper and threw it at his head.

She looked down at Feng who still held her tightly. "Did Tai come with you?" she asked excitedly.

He shook his head. "No, she had to stay in Stormwind and take care of mom and the little ones."

Melu frowned at his words. "Take care of her? Is she okay?"

Feng sighed. "When the cataclysm happened, Stormwind's park was destroyed. Benji was home alone at the time when the entire area fell into the sea. By some miracle he survived. She spotted him trapped beneath some rubble about to drown and she just..." His eyes were far away as he retold the story. "Jumped. She was too far to land in the ocean, there wasn't anything but stone but she jumped anyway. Her legs were shattered and we found out later that she injured her spine, but she kept crawling. She dragged herself all the way to Benji, got him out and brought him up to a safe spot until a few druids came and flew down to them."

Devastated yet relieved by the news, Melu wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his.

He continued, "They both survived, Benji has a few scars and Mom will never walk again. But they're alive."

"The Sanctum offers you our condolences for your family's misfortune," Koleyna spoke. "I'm sure you're tired from your travels, please stay here rest. I'm sure Melu and Shishi would love to hear your stories." Shifting her weight, the Duskheart motioned to the hall behind her with a thumb. "Now, shoo. All of you, I have paperwork to finish," she teased playfully.

The pair rose to their feet as the room emptied, Zanzo dragging a stubborn Sho by her nose.

"Owie! Mean ol' troll!"

"Moon-brained goat legs."

Melu smiled endearingly as she swept Xishimu up into her arms. Feng watched her, following close behind as she walked back to her room.

_He's here. He really came for me. _The thought made Melu giddy and she could barely control the bounce her step. Shishi watched the stranger with delight occasionally wiggling her little fingers at him.

"Why did you decide to find me?" Damned blushing face. It was like she was the same weak heiress that stumbled into him at Warsong.

Feng smiled down at her, his hand landing softly on the small of her back. "I think you know why."

"I- I want to hear you say it," she stammered and stopped to face him.

He hesitated a moment. Long enough for Melu to panic and scold herself for being so demanding.

He ruffled Shishi's hair as he asked, "Is she yours?" Melu nodded. His shoulders fell. "So... you found someone. That's great." Well, he certainly didn't sound like he was happy for her. She smiled, laughter in her eyes as she caught on to his misunderstanding.

"Feng, she's also _yours." _The rogue was struck dumb by the words. His eyes widened, his mouth hung open. Melu laughed. If only Haphaestus was around to see _this _face.

Melu looked down at her daughter. "Xishimu, or Shishi for short," she introduced and held the girl up to him. "Honey, this is Feng, he's your daddy."

The tiny half-elf looked between the two adults. "Daddy?"

As Feng shakily took the child into his arms, Melu nodded. "That's right. He's your papa."

Shishi's eyes lit up as her mind instantly formed a new title for the father. "Puppy!" she squealed, chubby arms wrapping around the rogue's neck in a choking hug. Feng laughed and his warm gaze shifted to Melu. One hand released the toddler and stroked Melu's face gently. He leaned in close, his lips hovering over hers.

"I love you," he whispered. She fought to keep her trembling legs in check as she closed the distance between them. When they broke for air he continued, "I would've come sooner, but I had to wait until the trial was over-"

"Trial?" Melu interrupted and she suddenly felt quite stupid for never considering the consequences her sudden departure caused for Feng.

He shook his head. "No, not me. Winters. After everyone escaped, she turned herself in and plead guilty to everything that happened that day. She confessed in front of King Wrynn that she wanted revenge against the Harvester for her brother. She said that it was the only reason she vouched for your release, in order to draw Shadoweye out of hiding."

"But that's not true!" Melu said. "She wouldn't do that! She was so kind, she..." her voice trailed off as Feng rubbed his thumb over her jaw.

"I know. Thelrien told me later that she did it to protect us. She took the blame so no one would come looking for you."

Melu held back a sob, trying valiantly not to cry and upset Shishi. They stood there in silence as she regained her composure. Finally, she continued her trek to her room.

After some time, she looked up at Feng and asked, "What will you do now? Are you going to return to Stormwind?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No. I told myself I would go back if you had moved on, I just wanted to see you." He shifted the little girl in a more comfortable position. "But now I think I'll stay. I'll be here as long as you want me."

Melu smiled at his words.

"Yes, please, please stay with me."

Feng glowed at her words and leaned down for another kiss.

"Forever," he promised


End file.
